


The Heart of Wisdom

by Kamigwen



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Fluff, Minor Violence, Reader Insert, Sheikah!Reader, Slow Romance, reader is a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-04-16 06:52:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 40,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14159187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kamigwen/pseuds/Kamigwen
Summary: 200 years passed since the death of Princess Zelda, and the imprisonment of The hero of legend Link in a strange shadow crystal. In those 200 years, a girl is born, and on one fateful day, she meets the Hero of Legend, and goes with him to find the lost reincarnation of the Princess. But be cautious, for the shadows can have more than just a darkness lurking within.





	1. Prolouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please take note that due to Archives chapter numbering please focus on the chapter name for reference of what chapter you are on! This is the prologue and the next chapter is chapter 1

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. It was suppose to have been a day of peace and joy. Today was suppose to be the wedding of legends, the joining of marriage between the Princess of Destiny Zelda, and the Hero of Legend Link. Everything was going just as it was planned...until the King of Shadows Ganon, and his army of minions rose from the earth. Having somehow been freed of the cage that held him, he came to take the one thing he had in mind, to get the Triforce.

       As soon as the monsters arrived, chaos broke out, the creatures of darkness running about, slaughtering as many innocent as they could. While the guards streamed to go fight off the enemy, Princess Zelda and Link were quick to draw their swords. Without a second of hesitation, both leapt into battle, fighting off monsters and making their way over to Ganon, their hands held tightly together.

       Once the two had gotten close, they stood ready for a fight before Link called “GANON! We come to fight you and send you back to where you belong!” The King of Shadows slowly turned to face his arch enemies, before his deep voice laughed lowly “Ah...Hero of Legend and Princess of Destiny...You come to surrender? It will not make your deaths any less painful.”

       Link laughed loudly, his blue eyes staring cold at Ganon “We don’t plan to surrender, we only plan to seal you away, just like before.” Ganon chuckled, waving his hand as his blade appeared in his hand “We shall see about that. I am much stronger than I have been in our past battles. So I will easily be able to-GAH!” A light arrow landed directly on the center of Ganon’s forehead, Zelda holding the bow of light and growling “I don’t care how strong you’ve become. You ruined my wedding, and you NEVER ruin a woman’s special day!” With one final war cry, the three leapt into battle.

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       Both Link and Zelda fought for their lives, though, they would admit, Ganon had gotten stronger, but they refused to give up. Together, they had slowly began to bring Ganon down, thinking that the battle was won, until a shadow rose from the ground behind them, beginning to approach. It had one target in mind, and he was focused on fighting off Ganon. While Link was distracted with the fight between him, Ganon, and Zelda, the shadow continued to move closer and closer, like a snake stalking it's target.

       As soon as the shadow was close, it rose up high into the air, a long dark blade seeming to appear from thin air held tightly in it's hand. With all of it's strength, it swung down...but missed it's intended target, as the blade made contact with the flesh of another. Princess Zelda, who had stepped back to fire off ranged attacks towards Ganon, had seen the shadow approaching Link. She knew that he was the only hope available for saving Hyrule, so, as soon as she saw the blade rise into the air, Zelda pushed Link out of the way, and took the hit herself.

       From Zelda's push, Link fell to the ground, confused about what was going on. He quickly turned to ask what she was doing, when he watched the dark blade of the shadow slice through her chest. Zelda's blue eyes were wide, not from shock, but from something else, as if she had seen something inside of the shadow. The shadow, displeased with missing, roughly shoved the wounded princess towards Link, who jumped up instantly to catch her.

       Link's blue eyes looked at the princess in utter horror, unable to believe that he allowed her to get hurt...when suddenly, a feeling filled the hero's mind. It was a feeling he never felt often, and never this strongly before, and yet..it felt good. The hate that boiled inside of Link only grew as the sound of Ganon's laughter filled the air "AH HA! FINALLY! The Triforce of Wisdom is mine at last!" The heavy footsteps of Ganon took a single step forward, only to be stopped by the tip of the Master Sword's blade being held to his throat.

        Link glared at the wide eyed shadow king, his voice low, and almost animal like as he growled “You will not touch her. I’ll kill you first!” Normally, Ganon would have easily swatted him away like a fly, but it was the hero’s cold eyes that froze him cold. Link’s once bright blue eyes had changed, changed into a swirling gold and black, a black that moved like shadows. The fear Ganon felt was nothing like he ever felt before, and it was something he would come to remember for the rest of his life.

        The shadow that stood behind Ganon, upon seeing that it’s master was immobilized, took the opportunity to attack. Quickly and quietly, it sunk into the ground, only to shoot up into the air behind Link. With it’s blade at the ready, the shadow swung down, only to be blocked by a different creature of shadow that shot out of the ground behind Link.

        Link, blinded by anger and sorrow, turned and attacked Zelda’s killer without mercy, the tears that rolled down his face slowly becoming as black as night. The shadows that swirled in his eyes moved down his face, wrapping around his arms and legs, before falling to the ground, creating a pool of darkness. From that pool, a figure rose up from the ground, a pair of glowing golden eyes staring at Ganon. Ganon’s dark red eyes met the golden ones of the shadow, unable to move from his spot as he whispered “T-This power...It was with him all along!?” The shadow, as if responding to Ganon, nodded slightly, before it vanished, leaving Ganon to watch Link fight.

        Link attacked the shadow, hit after hit, slowly bringing it to the ground. He was ready to attack, ready to finish the job and kill the thing that killed his lover, when Ganon’s voice called “Gahira! Fall back. He has….IT” The shadow looked up at Link, quickly jumping away while a female’s voice growled “You may have won this battle Hero, but we will return, and we will take what is ours.”

        Before Link had any chance to react, Gahira threw down the well known Deku Nut, vanishing in a flash along with all of Ganon’s forces, leaving Link alone. The hero of legend did nothing but stand there, his hand tightly gripping the master sword, his whole body shaking, until a female’s voice, weak and worried, asked “L-Link?”

        The second he heard the voice, Link turned quickly to see Princess Zelda, standing with a hand pressed against the wound on her chest. Her legs were having trouble keeping her standing while her blue eyes met Link’s black and gold ones. The moment their eyes met, the master sword fell from Link’s hands as he raced to catch Zelda, whose legs gave out beneath her. As soon as she was in his arms he lowered them both to the ground.

        With her cradled in his arms, Link ran a soothing hand through Zelda’s dark brown hair, whispering in reassurance “I’m here Zelda, I’m here don’t worry. We’ll get you back to the castle and get you all patched up, okay?” A soft, gentle laugh escaped Zelda’s lips, as a small smile appeared on her face. Her loving blue eyes stared deeply into Link’s swirling black and gold, before she slowly reached up, placing a gentle hand on his cheek.“I think we both know….that I will not make it to the castle in time…The goddess’ were kind enough to grant me only these last few moments with you. I’m sorry my love.” Link shook his head, the dark tears that ran down his face becoming crystal clear. “N-No! Don’t say that! You’ll be fi-” He was cut off when Zelda gently ran her gloved thumb over the shadows that stained his face, whispering softly “I am sorry that I cannot be there with you...while this darkness inside you is awake…”

        Now, Link said nothing, the tears that rolled down his cheeks falling and mixing with Zelda’s blood. Suddenly, the shadows that surrounded Link shot up into the air, moving in quick, jagged motions, but neither Link or Zelda noticed. Knowing her time was short, Zelda whispered with a smile “Find me again Link….just like...you always do..” With one final shaky breath, Zelda’s head rolled to the side, and her hand fell to the ground limp.

        Link’s eyes widened as he shook his head, at first slow before becoming faster and faster, crying out “No...No no no….ZELDAA!” In an instant, the shadows around him went haywire, lashing high into the air without control. His cries echoed in the air as Link held Zelda’s body close, before the shadows shot back down towards him. The shadows surrounded him, slowly growling bigger and bigger before they all suddenly froze, hardening into a crystal like shell around him. From the outside, one would be able to see Link’s frozen expression of sorrow, while a small golden trail floated gently up into the heavens, leaving the hero alone in his crystal prison.


	2. Chapter 1

 “This event that turned the Kingdom of Hyrule upside down was exactly two-hundred years ago tomorrow. Throughout those many years, archaeologists have been trying to break through the prison that holds the hero of legend, with no luck at all. Scientist believe it is because of the Hero’s soul awaiting the discovery of his princess once more, so he can perform his duty as her protector.” A bell rang through the building, signaling that class was over. The teacher let out a small sigh, before she said “Alright everyone, class is dismissed, and don’t forget that your projects are due next week and that tomorrow is the Day of Choosing Ceremony. OH! And after tomorrow we are taking a trip to the Forest of Tears.”

        At the mention of the Day of Choosing, all of the Hylians in the room let out a loud groan, gathering up their things. One female, a girl named [Y/N] [L/N], stayed sitting in her seat, lost in thought. She sat there remembering the Day of Choosing where she had to participate, letting out a sigh at the bad things that happened.

        The Day of Choosing is where the council of Hyrule, formed after the death of the princess who had no heir, calls upon all female Hylians that are the age of 16 to approached the Triforce of Wisdom and see if she is the lost reincarnation of the Princess Zelda. If she indeed was Zelda’s reincarnation, she would to be taken to the Forest of Tears, the forest that held the imprisoned hero and named for how many tears were split there after the Princess' death, where she would then free the trapped hero from his prison.

        When [Y/N] was of age, she too had to participate in the ceremony, things didn’t exactly go as planned. She wasn’t even able to rise her hand up to the Triforce of Wisdom, because as soon as she approached, dark clouds filled the sky and a powerful bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. The council took it as a bad omen of the goddess’ and refused to let her continue. For the first few months, she was labeled as a bad omen, but now, she’s eighteen, and pretty much everyone but a few no longer call her that.

        [Y/N] was quickly pulled from her thoughts as her teacher asked “Miss [L/N]? Are you alright? Shouldn’t you be heading on out to meet up with your friends to work on your project?” The girl quickly stood up and nodded, gathering up her things “Ah! Yes Ma’am! Sorry I was a little lost in thought for a moment. I’ll see you tomorrow then!”

        She quickly raced out of the room, only to run straight into a tall Gerudo female. As [Y/N] landed on her butt, the Gerudo laughed and leaned down to offer a hand “You must watch where you’re going little [Y/N]! We always seem to run into each other this way!” The female Hylian pouted as she took the offered hand, muttering “Well it’s not my fault that you're so tall Garhia! I can’t help but run into you!!” Garhia laughed as she shook her head, her long red hair swaying behind her “Whatever you say little [Y/N], come Arina and Barik are waiting for us.”

        Quickly, the two females walked down the hall of the school to the front door, where they were greeted by a female Zora and a Goron.  The Zora placed a hand on her hip, the jewels of her bracelet creating a gentle bell like sound, as she playfully jabbed “Finally get out of class? Sheesh, I thought you never would have gotten here on time! What did you do? Fall asleep during the lecture or something?” [Y/N] quickly blushed, defending herself “No! No it wasn’t that!”

        Arina smirked and was about to ask what it was, when [Y/N] answered for her “It was about the ceremony two years ago…” All three of her friends sighed, Gahira folding her arms “Still hung up on that? Little [Y/N] it was just a random event that occurred during the ceremony! We all knew storms were coming and the lightening just happened to strike on your turn.” The hylian shook her head, tightly wrapping her arms around herself “No, I know that, I could care less about that..” “Well then what is it?”

        [Y/N] looked away from her friends as she explained her daydream “What has me stuck on it was the strange feeling I had when I got close to the triforce. You know, like something was wrong. Just like the feeling Arina had before the flood at Zora’s domain, or even the feeling you had Barik, before Eldin Volcano erupted! Just that something was wrong!” Barik, the male goron of the group, shuffled slightly “Maybe it was the goddesses trying to tell you something?” The female shrugged, before she suddenly heard the sound of a carriage. Quickly she shrugged, beginning to run outside “Maybe, maybe not! Who knows what everyone else felt when they approached the triforce, but we can stop the chit chat! We need to go catch that carriage!”

         As soon as she said that, it suddenly dawned on them that the carriage they were about to miss….was their only way home. In a second, all four of them bursted out of the doors and called out to the carriage driver in a panic, praying he would hear them and stop. Thankfully, that's exactly what he did. With a strong whoa, the horse stopped and allowed [Y/N] and her companions to quickly climb into the carriage. [Y/N] made her want to the front and quickly apologized “We are so sorry Mr. Zahi! We got distracted and didn’t mean to make you stop for us!"

          Mr. Zahi smiled brightly and simply waved at the group, before he returned the carriage to its trot. Once all of the group were sitting, Gahira asked "Will your mother and father be home Little [Y/N]? Or will we be alone?" [Y/N] quickly dug through her bag, replying "They won't be home. Father, being one of the head councilmen needed to stay late to help set up, and mother went to go help him." The Gerudo nodded before she went silent, and the whole group enjoyed their ride back to [Y/N]'s home.

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          The carriage ride went on like normal, all of the students talking and having fun with each other, when the earth suddenly began shaking. No one knew what happened, and didn't have time to check as a shock wave blasted through the air. Mr. Zahi quickly raced to the back of the carriage and exclaimed "Everyone! Get out! Get out and stay close!" All of the students obliged, and [Y/N] was the first to jump out.

         She had felt a surge of power suddenly accompany the shock wave that no one else felt, and she needed to know why. So, as soon as [Y/N]'s feet touched the ground, she turned to the source of the shock wave, only to freeze in her spot. Right in the center of the forest of tears, a large pillar of light shot high into the sky, with a long shadow like snake slowly crawling up around it, which caused [Y/N] growl slightly. Her blue eyes flashed a bright red, about to sprint towards the pillar of light, when a male's voice caused her to freeze. ‘Pri...nce..ss….were is...the princess..’ The man's voice echoed in her mind like a plea for help, causing [Y/N] to simply stare in shock.

        She didn’t know what to do, unable to really move from her spot like she was in a trance of sorts. [Y/N] was pulled out of her thoughts ,however, by the sound of wings flapping overhead. Looking up, her and the other students were greeted by a flock of Ritos, one particular male exclaiming “[Y/N]! Gahira! Everyone! Are you guys alright!?” Zutir, the rito friend of the group, quickly landed and raced towards his friends. [Y/N] quickly held out her hands, reassuring her friend “We’re fine Zutir, but what happened in the forest! Where did that pillar of light come from!” The Rito shrugged, looking just as lost and confused as everyone else “I don’t know! My group was just learning the history of the forest when it suddenly appeared! We went to go check it out but…”

        A powerful sense of dread filled [Y/N] as she quickly asked “Zutir...what happened when you got there..” Zutir shook his head furiously”The dark crystal prison of the hero was broken in half, shards everywhere…” Arina’s and Barik’s eyes widened, their faces painted with a look of shock as Gahira asked “But what of the hero!” Zutir’s panicked expression turned to a grim one as he whispered “Gone.”

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        Before the students knew it, the army of hyrule had flooded the area, a group of soldiers taking all of the students without a ride home. The group that had [Y/N] and her companions dropped them off at the path that led to [Y/N]’s tree home, before vanishing from sight and leaving the group to go the rest of the way. None of the really said anything due to the shock and harsh reality that dawned on them. The great Hero of Legend was gone without a trace, and there was no sign on where to find him anywhere.

        Out of all her friends, [Y/N] was the most worried one of them all, biting her lip the whole way home as she thought of anyway to find the hero. When she lead the group through the wall of trees and into the clearing of her house, Ariana let out a loud gasp. A shadow, tall and dangerous looking stood in front of [Y/N]’s house, hidden by the blanket of the night.  In a heartbeat, [Y/N] drew her dagger that was hidden away on her person and held in front of her, Gahira quickly standing at her side with her own blade drawn. Despite seeing the group and the weapons, the shadow remained unmoving, until Barik asked, peeking behind [Y/N] and Zutir’s shoulders “W-W-What do you want?” Ariana quickly added “A-And who are you!?”

        At first there was nothing, until the voice [Y/N] heard in the clearing spoke up, causing her to freeze as it said “The Princess...you must help me find the...princess…” The figure took a step towards the group and into the moonlight, weak blue eyes staring directly at them before the figure fell to the ground. A collective gasp filled the air as the group of five stared down at their mystery guest, who was none other than the missing Hero of Legend, Link.


	3. Chapter 2

        [Y/N] stared down at the ground in shock, her blue eyes locked onto the unconscious hero that laid on the ground. No one said a word before Arina exclaimed “SWEET MOTHER OF NAYRU I-IS T-THAT!?” [Y/N], being the calmest on in the group, knelt down besides Link and answered “Yeah...it is.” Gahira folded her arms across her chest as she asked “[Y/N]? What in the name of the goddesses is going on? What is the hero of legend doing unconscious in front of your house!?” All the hylian female could do was shrug while she attempted to lift Link up off the ground, replying “I’m not sure but help me get him inside!”

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        With the help of her friends, [Y/N] managed to bring Link into her house, laying him on a bed and tending to him. His tunic, still torn and bloody from the battle two-hundred years ago, was carefully folded atop a chest of fabric to be fixed later on. After Zutir and Barik changed Link into a clean tunic, the whole group stood around him in silence to let the weight of the situation sink in. There hero of time, the one written about in legends, was lying in front of them unconscious. Once it finally did, Arina asked confused “Well...what do we do now!? The fricking Hero of Legend is currently unconscious in bed, wearing one of [Y/N]’s father’s tunics!”

        Barik quickly raised a hand to suggest “Well...we could always tell the council! I’m sure they would appreciate being told that the hero has awoken, because then he could help them find the princess?” Zutir rolled his eyes as he folded his wings across his chest, saying with a slightly annoyed tone “Yeah sure, as if they would believe us! We are nothing but a bunch of eighteen year olds. They would literally just laugh at us, especially at [Y/N].” [Y/N] herself nodded in agreement to Zutir’s words, walking over to the folded and bloody tunic “Zutir is right. The only way they would even begin to believe us is if he was brought to them, and well, he isn’t exactly able to walk. And I don’t think any of us want to carry him on horseback.”

        Gahira let out a loud sigh as she placed a hand on her hip, asking with frustration lacing her tone “Well then what are we going to do!? Tomorrow is the ceremony so you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near the castle and who knows when he is going to wake up! It could be days!” The hylian rubbed her temple with her fingers as she thought, pacing back and forth. “He’ll stay here. If he wakes up tomorrow I can bring him to my father after the ceremony and he will be able to help us.” Looking up to see her friends worried expressions, she said “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

        So with that and the help of an old family heirloom, all of her friends were sent home, leaving [Y/N] alone with. Going back inside, the female took a deep breath, let it out, and then moved to sit down and begin mending the torn tunic.

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        When [Y/N] awoke the next morning, she was greeted by a pair of the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen, along with a strange warmth under her head. And then all of the memories of last night came flooding back, realizing that she had fallen asleep...on Link’s chest without even meaning to. In seconds her face was bright red as she jumped up, waving her hands frantically in the air “OH MY GODDESSES I AM SO SORRY! I FELL ASLEEP FIXING YOUR TUNIC A-AND! OH YOU MUST BE SO CONFUSED!!!”

        Link simply stared at her with confusion written all over his face as he slowly sat up, his golden blonde hair falling over his eyes slightly. Watching [Y/N] for a moment, he asked “Zelda?” When he said that name, [Y/N] froze in her spot, feeling a small sense of dread fill her stomach. She would need to tell him that the woman he had loved was dead for almost two-hundred years. Slowly turning her back, she answered his question “No..I am not the princess...she’s been dead for almost two-hundred years with no reincarnation to be found yet.”

        Setting the basket down, she slowly turned to see the expression of confusion on Links face slowly turn to one of horror as he processed the information “two-hundred...years..?” “Yes, for two-hundred years you were trapped in a crystal nothing could break. Something yesterday broke you free and you ended up here. I broug-” She didn’t even have time to react when Link raced towards her and roughly grabbed her arms, his tight grip as he exclaimed “That can’t be true! It couldn’t have been two-hundred years! Everything...she was…”

        As Link’s grip slowly weakened on her arms, [Y/N] could see how broken he was just by gazing into his eyes. The weight of everything had just come crashing down on him all at once, so [Y/N] couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Carefully guiding him back to the bed, she spoke softly and gently to him “Why don’t I tell you everything that happened.”      

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        It didn’t take [Y/N] very long to explain everything to Link, mostly because he didn’t ask very many questions. She went over everything, the council that runs Hyrule, the various changes that occurred, and even the ceremony...that was that day. As that dawned upon her what day it was, [Y/N]'s face paled and she leapt up from her chair, exclaiming "I'M GOING TO BE LATE!"

        She frantically raced around her home getting changed, Link watched her from the bed. After she came out dressed, he asked "So this ceremony...the apparent council of Hyrule has all female Hylians approach the Triforce of wisdom to see if they're Ze-The Princess reborn?" "Yes! So far she hasn't been found because nothing happened! The most interesting that happened was when I had approached it during my time."

        Intrigued, Links blue eyes followed [Y/N], taking note of how his next question made her freeze. "What happened?" [Y/N] was reluctant at first to answer, her claim partially wrapped over her shoulders before she said "On the day of my ceremony, I was the last one to approach. Nothing had happened so I expected it to be the same with me. But when I got close, I wasn't even able to place my hand on it when the clear sky suddenly grew dark from storm clouds. Rain poured from the sky and lightening struck the ground nearby. The council labeled me a bad omen that day, and that is what I am."

        [Y/N] turned to looked at the hero and noticed his eyes seemed to be filled with a strange rage "That's wrong! If you're the first person that got a reaction they should have researched it, not brush it away! You might actually be the princess reborn!" His words made her laughed as she shook her head, picking up the mended green tunic "I am not, I possess no magic like she did, nor do I have visions, I know exactly why the Triforce of Wisdom reacted the way it did."

        Link, obviously unamused with her answer, asked one final question "Oh? Why do you think, you're not cursed or something are you?" The final question was one she didn't really want to answer, so she quickly took a deep breath to reply "You know nothing about me hero. Now enough questions we need to leave." Quickly she tossed him his tunic and a spare cloak, explaining "We need to get to there soon if we want to make it to the ceremony before it starts so you can talk with my father and meet the council."

        Not giving him time to ask any more questions, [Y/N] walked out of the front door and made her way over to the small pen, smiling when a certain copper colored horse came trotting over to her. Raising her hand, she stroked the horse's muzzle as she said "Hey there girl, you look happier than normal, can you sense your rider here or something?" As if on cue, [Y/N] heard Link's voice echo in the air "Epona?" The horse looked up away from [Y/N] and neighed in joy, moving along the fence over to Link. [Y/N] could see the look of pure happiness on the hero's face as he greeted his loyal steed, commenting with a smile “Well, I guess you’re a little shocked. I mean I am too, she only ever acted that way around me.”

        While [Y/N] went to get another horse, she heard Link ask “How? There is no way that this is my Epona, right? She has to be a descendant or something..?” “Ha, do you think a descendant would act that way around you? That is your Epona.” The hero turned to face her, a hand still on the pale mane of Epona. [Y/N] had brought out her own horse, named Asva, meaning speed, as she explained “I asked my Grandmother the same thing, and she thinks it is because the goddess’ binded her soul to yours, so when you stopped aging, she also stopped aging. Now, come on we need to hurry! Her tack is right over there, saddle up and lets go!”

        [Y/N] frantically began to saddle her steed, making sure Link was doing fine. She also noticed that he had a sword on his back covered in a cloth, wondering where he got that from. Shrugging it off, she heard Link ask “Have you cared for her all this time? She seems healthier than ever!” A small blush appeared on her face as she nodded “Yeah, ever since I was little. I was the only person, besides my grandmother, who was able to approach her.” Mounting her horse, she saw Link smile in thanks “Probably because she can tell you are a kind person! Thank you!”

        Returning the thanks with a nod, the female Hylian said “Come on! Lets go, lets go lets go!” Seeing Link mount Epona, she did not hesitate racing in a gallop. Leaving her small home, [Y/N] made sure to call out “Stay close to me Hero! I don’t-” Link interrupted her. Laughing “Please! Call me Link, it’s strange hearing Hero!” For a moment, she didn’t reply, a small smile spreading as she continued “Alright Link, stay close to me! The forest gets tricky!” She looked forward, assuming they would ride in silence, but that was not the case. [Y/N] heard a sword be drawn from its sheath as Link asked “One more question. How did you have this?” Looking back, her bright blue eyes widened as she gazed upon the legendary Master Sword.


	4. Chapter 3

[Y/N]’s eyes were shocked as she asked Link “Where did you find that!?” The hero let out a soft chuckle as he securely fastened the sword onto his back “I found it in your house inside of a chest. I heard it calling to me.” The female was shocked, quickly saying “I mean, my grandmother gave my family a sword to watch over, but it was always wrapped in a cloth so I had no idea! I mean, it is your sword so, you’re welcome…?” Link had an amused smirk on his face as he rode next to her “Thank you for keeping it safe, even if you didn’t know you were keeping it safe.”

        [Y/N] quickly nodded, looking forward to keep riding, lost in thought, until something pulled her out. An arrow, one aimed to kill, flew in front of her, barely missing her head. Her horse reared, spooking Epona and sending [Y/N] flying forward. Link was prepared to go after her, but [Y/N] easily landed on her feet. Looking over she saw the make of the arrow and knew exactly what was coming. Pulling her dagger she growled “Bokoblins.” The war cry of the creatures echoed in the air, both hylians preparing for battle, until [Y/N] smirked “Don’t worry about me, just protect the horses.”

        Link didn't have time to question the girl's request for a group of about five bokoblins appeared, surrounding [Y/N].  However, she seemed fine, not a single stitch of fear visible on her face. With her dagger in hand, [Y/N] smirked, and quickly back flipped in the air, landing against a tree, before she jumped onto one of the bokoblins. She moved like air, her body easily ducking and dodging the weapons that the clumsy bokoblins sung, too fast for them to hit. She couldn’t see it, but Link watched her every movement in awe, having the feeling of seeming to know the fighting style form somewhere in his past.

        Two of the bokoblins went down in ease, the other three determined to try and kill the girl that took them down. One of them managed to grab her, causing Link to shout “ANNA!” She looked over to see another bringing its weapon down. So, she grabbed the Bokoblin that held her by its arm and ducked, causing it to be killed by the others weapon, before she threw her dagger into its throat. The final one stood off by the trees, shaking as it held it’s weapon towards the girl, watching as she slowly retrieved it’s dagger. [Y/N] made sure to meet its gaze before shouting “BOO!” The creature screamed in fright before it took off running into the trees.

        The final bodies of the bokoblins disintegrated into a black dust as Link pulled his sword out, letting out a low whistle “Well, you certainly know how to fight, especially even more impressive that you can do that in a dress. Who taught you?”  [Y/N] laughed to herself slightly before she replied “My father, said a girl must always be able to protect herself, so he made sure to have me learn from the best.” “Would that happen to be the Sheikah tribe?” The question caused her to freeze in place, holding onto her horse's saddle. After a few moments of silence, she answered “No, just from a family friend. The Sheikah tribe was wiped out long ago. No one is left.” Mounting her horse, she saw how Link’s head dropped slightly in disappointment, before he shook his head and asked no more. [Y/N] frowned slightly as she whispered “Sorry...I must have gotten your hopes up, I know the princess was once a member of the Sheikah.” Link said nothing in response, keeping his gaze low as the two of them continued down the road.

 

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        The rest of the trip between the two was in silence, neither [Y/N] or Link saying a word. [Y/N] was the first to speak up once they made it through the forest, digging through her bag to pull out a cloak. Tossing it to him she explained “Put this on, I doubt you want to be swarmed by guards and everyone else and their questions.” Link caught the cloak with ease, putting it on with a nod. She wasn’t wrong. The quicker everything was explained and sorted out the better. So, he put it on just as a stable came into view, [Y/N] seeming to lower her gaze slightly as they rode up.

        Once they were close to the stables, they passed a few Hylians, and Link could hardly believe what he saw. Men pulled their wives and children behind them, others glared. Both could easily hear as a pair of women hissed and whispered “Isn’t that the cursed girl? The one who caused that big lightning strike during her ceremony?” “Yup, that’s her alright. Bet her and that cloaked figure are here to curse this one too.” [Y/N], out of the corner of her eye could see Link beginning to boil in anger, so she quickly turned back and shook her head “Just ignore them. I’m used to it so it doesn’t bother me any more.” She turned to face forward just as they were greeted by the stable master who smiled “AH! Miss [L/N]! I assume you’re here to board your horses for the ceremony today?”

        [Y/N] smiled as she and Link dismounted, handing their horses off to a stable hand “Of course! I hope your stable is doing well!” The stable master smiled brightly and looked over to Link, waving his hand with a smile “It is! You stranger have got yourself a fine lady. If it weren’t for her and her friends, I would have lost my stable and been homeless!” Link raised an eyebrow while [Y/N] blushed, quickly saying “Oh it was nothing. Just had to raise some money and get rid of those thugs. Anyway, we need to get going, don’t want to be late to the ceremony!” Grabbing Link’s hand, she dragged him away before the stable master could ask anything else.

        As [Y/N] lead Link into castle town, they passed a pair of women. They were whispering to themselves, both able to hear them say “Look. Its her again. If you ask me, I say she should be banned from the ceremony. Her soul is evil.” “Mhm, I bet she is the reason the princess hasn’t been found. Such a wretched chi-” Both of the women were shut up when they saw Link shoot them a glare of anger. [Y/N] didn’t see this look, only sighing in relief when they suddenly shut their mouths and ran off. She also heard Link hum happily by the reaction.

        Soon, both of them found a spot in the large arena like building where the ceremony was normally held. Before long, the crowd shushed as the council leader, Senator Rohan stepped up onto the platform. Holding his hands high into the air, he began to repeat the exact same speech, so of course [Y/N] ignored it. She had heard it so many times already, so she didn’t care, and instead focused on the covered shape behind him. At some point in the senator's speech, the cloth was removed and revealed the legendary Triforce of Wisdom. As [Y/N] stared at the triforce, the same familiar feeling she had before filled her gut. It felt off, wrong for some reason. She tried to shake it off, but Link’s reaction to it didn’t help her uncertainty.

        The moment that the Triforce of Wisdom had been revealed, Link had hissed loudly in obvious pain, his hand clamping over his left. Under his fingers, a faint golden light was able to be seen, which sent red flags for [Y/N]. “What’s wrong?” She whispered worried, her blue eyes glancing over at the large crowd around them. It took him a while to respond, more than likely attempting to recover from the shock, before he finally answered “I..I don’t know. But something is wrong with..that isn’t…” He was trying to find his words, the look of confusion very obvious on his features. Before either could figure out the situation anymore, a line of Hylian females approche the Triforce of Wisdom.

        One by one, each girl approached the golden triangle, and with each girl, nothing happened. When it was time for the final girl to approach, [Y/N] noticed that she seemed a little older than the other girls, and also that the area seemed to get just a little bit colder. The girl raised her hand, reaching to rest it on the holy object, but before she could, a bright flash filled the area. The light that blinded the entire crowd quickly became replaced by chilling shadows, and with  those shadows, a large roar that made [Y/N]’s blood turn cold.

        Hearing the screams of everyone in the crowd, both [Y/N] and Link looked up to see what happened. In horror, they watched as thousands of Ganondorf's minions swarmed out of a dark portal, with none other than the shadow king himself floating above the darkness.


	5. Chapter 4

        [Y/N] stood frozen, not by fear, as she watched the shadow king command his army. It was more of shock that caused her to fear, nearly being swept away by the crowd. A hand grabbed her arm, trying to pull her away. She assumed that it was Link trying to get her to safety, and she was prepared to go with him, when a man’s voice reached her ears. “Stay back! I’m telling you keep away.” She knew the voice well, her [E/C] eyes finding it. She found her parents backed into a corner, surrounded by Bokoblins. Each one was armed with a sword, prepared to kill, and all her father had to protect them was a stick.

        In almost an instant, anger swelled up inside the pit of her stomach, that anger soon growing into rage. No one was going to touch her parents. In a flash, her eyes were a dangerous red color, her hand reaching into the folds of her dress. She pulled the dagger that she always kept with her, about to leapt through the crowd with the intent to kill, but was stopped by the arm that held onto her. Frustrated, [Y/N] turned, facing Link with a growl “Let. Me. GO!” Link shook his head to protest, trying to reason with the hylian girl “No! It’s too dangerous, with that dagger I doubt you’d even be able to get close!” Her blood red eyes met Link’s blue, [Y/N] getting closer “They’re going after my parents. You say I can’t get close? Just. Watch me.”

        Link was stunned by her words, she took advantage of it to push him off of her, taking off into the crowd. She flew through the rushing crowd, bobbing and weaving between people and monsters, trying to reach her parents. She could hear the sound of wood shattering, along with a creatures gurgled laughter. They were close, they were going to kill her parents. ‘No..’ She thought, urging her body to go faster ‘No! No they won’t die!’ Finally she broke through the crowd, landing down at the open floor of the colosseum. Her parents were close, she could see them with their backs against the wall, the Bokoblins all with their blades raised. She was going to be too late, she wouldn’t be able to make it. The only way to save them was to use it.

        Still racing towards her parents, [Y/N] reached out of hand, shouting as loud as she could “SAVE THEM!!” At her command, a shape almost like a snake raced from [Y/N]’s shadow, going towards the group of creatures. It moved even faster than she could, reaching the creatures before attacking. With the snap of her fingers, the shadows shifted and shot from the ground, piercing each Bokoblin with a black spike. They all disappeared in a dark cloud, the spikes that killed them vanishing as well. Her father gaped at her shocked, her mother gasping “[Y/N]! What are you doing!?” She was cut off by [Y/N] pleading “Mother, Father please, escape and go home, where it will be safe!”

        Her parents were reluctant to leave, but they knew she could handle herself, so they fled the area, leaving [Y/N] alone. Slowly, she turned and faced the source of the problem, Ganondorf himself.

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        After [Y/N] vanished out of Link’s grasp, it left the hero to go save someone else. The girl that seemed to have summoned his worst enemy was being attacked by a moblin. So, he took off opposite of [Y/N], a feeling of slight worry eating at his stomach. He hadn’t known her long, but she seemed nice and while she could defend herself, this was a entirely different fight. He couldn’t focus on that now however, since he had another priority

        The girl had been split off from the crowd, held down by a moblin. It was too distracted by her to see Link racing up, so it was unable to defend as the master sword sunk into its back. The moblin roared out in pain, throwing it’s head up, releasing the girl to try and pull out the blade buried between its shoulders. Link, who held onto the Master Sword, stood on its back, looking down at it “Hey there buddy! I doubt you know who I am, but let's put it this way, you’re not going to like me!” The moblin only roared in response to his words, a smirk spreading across his face “Well! If you’re gonna be rude, I guess I can make this quick!”

        With his left hand, Link ripped his sword free, grabbing onto the creatures horn. Of course, the moblin wasn’t pleased with this, it’s large arms swinging behind in an attempt to throw him off. But, Link held his grip, keeping his feet planted firmly against his back. Raising the sword into the air, he brought it down into it’s skull, killing the moblin instantly. As the body fell, Link jumped off and ran over to the cowering girl, who had pushed herself up against a wall during his small fight.

        Sheathing the Master Sword, Link slowly held out his hand “It’s okay! You’re safe now.” She stared at him with fear in her eyes, still shaken from the entire situation. Tentatively she took his hand, Link helping her to his feet while asking “What’s your name?” The girl answered fast, her voice quivering “J-Jasmine..” “Well Jasmine, just stay by me, I’ll bring you somewhere safe, and after all of this is over, we need to have a talk, okay?”

        Jasmine nodded, grabbing onto the edge of his tunic while Link began leading her towards an exit. He had just turned around a piece of rubble when he heard someone scream “SAVE THEM!” It was [Y/N]’s voice! He quickly took Jasmine’s had to run with her, trying to find the hylian, when he saw it. He saw [Y/N] racing towards two people, and something racing across the ground. But that wasn’t what made him freeze in place. No, it was what came after. He watched as the things shot from the ground, black shadowy spikes piercing the Bokoblins, before everyone sunk into the ground. Link’s blood went cold as questions filled his mind. Did [Y/N] do that? There was no way Ganondorf would kill his own creatures if they were about to kill unless he was in a bad mood. His thoughts sparked another question. Could she be trusted?

        He didn’t get long to think, because he watched [Y/N] turn around, and suddenly take off towards Ganondorf. Link also suddenly took off, knowing that if [Y/N] got there first, she would be as good as dead, so he ran, praying that she would be alive after this to answer the questions he had.

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        She didn’t really know what she was thinking. All that went through her head was, she had to make him pay. Pay for almost hurting her parents, and killing so many innocent people. [Y/N] raced towards Ganondorf with the full intent of fighting him, and no one was going to stop her. Ganondorf saw her approach, his laughter filling the air “So, you wish to fight? So be it.” He lowered down to the ground, drawing the large sword from his back. But he didn’t get a chance to react. When he swung his sword down, [Y/N] ducked, using her hand to guide her as she slid under, his blade barely missing her face. She shot between his legs, before she used her dagger to stab into the side of his knee..

        Like a small monkey, she pulled her dagger free, grabbing hold of the robes to easily wrap her legs around his waist. She swung her upper body up once again using her dagger as a anchor to stop herself. She held onto Ganondorf's shoulder, trying to find the other dagger she kept on her. Ganondorf let out a low growl at her attack. “Get off you insolent pest!” He reached up, grabbing her by her [H/L] [H/C] hair, using that to rip her off. Using his full force, he tossed her to the ground, leaving her stunned. Angered by the annoyance of the girl, Ganondorf used his boot to kick her in the stomach, sending her flying a good distance away. Pulling the dagger free, the king of shadows growled “Spend an eternity in insanity.”

        [Y/N], her entire body hurting from the attack, slowly looked up at her enemy. He had raised his arm, a swirl of dark shadows gathering at his feet. Instead of being afraid, she was pleased. Weakly, she rose to her feet, spitting the blood from her mouth. “Go ahead.” She coughed, opening her arms wide. A shout of fear filled the air that caused her to look down. “[Y/N]! Move!” It was Link. She could see him running towards her across the open area, trying to stop Ganondorf. “It’s okay Link! I’ll be fine!” She called back, watching his face fill with confusion, before everything around her was covered in darkness.

        She knew that she was trapped in a small dome of Ganondorf’s shadow, the darkness attempting to make her go insane. But it didn’t. Instead, she calmly closed her red eyes, breathing slowly to feel the darkness. It was cold, heartless, hungry for power. It tried to lash out at her, but instead, she grabbed it. She held both of her arms out in her dark prison, her hands suddenly snapping into fists as she grabbed onto the shadow’s power. With her hold tight, [Y/N] ordered “You will release me.” The shadow resisted, trying to break free of her hold but failed. She repeated the order, and slowly, it obeyed. The surrounding area began shaking, her prison cracking and breaking. Through the cracks, she heard the sound of sword clashing together. Link and Ganondorf had engaged in a sword fight. [Y/N] tightened her grip on the shadow, forcing the dome to break faster. The ground began to shake violently as she fought to destroy the shadows cage. Then, it shattered.

        All around her, the shadow wiggled through the air, trying to escape, but she wouldn’t let it. With her hold strong, she rose her arms into the air, the shadow following it. Link and Ganondorf had both stopped their fight to witness her destroying Ganondorf’s prison, the king of shadows demanding “How!? How is this possible! No one can break free of my darkness! NO ONE!” [Y/N] only smirked, her eyes focused on him “Well, I guess you discovered my little secret. But enough talk. You tried to hurt my mother and father, so it’s time for you to die!” She threw her arms down, forcing a rain of shadows down upon Ganondorf. However, he remained unaffected, the shadow king disappearing from sight, his shadow going with him.

        Frustrated, [Y/N] shouted “SHOW YOURSELF COWARD!” The only response she got was his voice filling her mind “Hmm...sorry little girl. You have indeed showed me something interesting today, but for now, I must go see if my servants have completed my mission for them.” “What are you talking about!” She demanded, spinning around in an attempt to find him. “Seeing as it no longer matters, I will tell you. I needed information from two people. I believe you call them mother and father. I hope you enjoy having corpses for parents.” His words send her blood cold, her red eyes returning to their normal [E/C] from fear. “No…” She whispered, turning and racing from the area. Not even the call of Link could stop her as she raced away, praying that she could get to her parents first.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the mistake in order with chapters! I had confused myself so here is the missing chapter that should have been posted before chapter 6!

Link tried to stop [Y/N] before she could run from him, only to fail as she fled the area. Link grabbed onto Jasmine’s hand so she wouldn’t get separated from him when they made it out to the field. Horses ran everywhere in panic, Hylians trying to calm their horses. Through the chaos, Link heard a whistle, seeing Asva racing towards his mistress. The horse had pushed through the crowd, allowing Link to see [Y/N] swing into his saddle. He needed to catch up with her and there was only one horse able to do that. Brining his fingers to his lips, Link whistled loudly, as song he knew for so long filling the air. A neigh came nearby before Epona raced through the horses, stopping in front of Link and Jasmine. 

He quickly helped Jasmine into the saddle, mounting soon after. He clicked his tongue, Epona taking off into a gallop. Seeing the white shape of Asva disappear into the trees of the forest, Link urged Epona to follow as fast as she could. The chestnut’s hooves beat against the ground as she raced after the white horse. While Epona did all she could to catch up, Link’s mind wandered to what he witnessed back at the coliseum. [Y/N] had broken free of Ganondorf’s shadow, someone no one had been known to do. And yet she did. Granted it created a powerful earthquake, but the way she controlled them is what sent shivers down his spine. He had seen her eyes. Red eyes that he wasn’t aware of before, filled with rage, anger, and a little bit of joy.

She had enjoyed controlling his shadows, enjoyed forcing it to do her bidding. He could see that when she was controlling them, they tried to fight back. No, no he couldn’t think on that now, he needed to focus on stopping her. He shook the doubt in his mind for the time being, letting it settle and build up for later. The trees they passed only seemed like blurs, no distinct shape able to be told from them. Ahead, Link saw the form of [Y/N] and her horse getting closer slowly. During his chase, Link saw a group of shadows fly past them in the opposite direction, coming from where her home was. It told Link why she was rushing, but he couldn’t let her go alone. 

Tightening his hold on the reins, he leaned down, whispering into Epona’s ear “Faster Epona, faster! We have to stop her or else something bad might happen to her.” The horse neighed in response to his request, the hero feeling her body push to gain more speed. With the small bit she added, Link and Jasmine managed to catch up to [Y/N]. Link looked over at her calling “[Y/N] stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!” Without even looking at them she replied coldly “I know exactly what I am doing!” Hearing the stubbornness, Link knew what he needed to do. Reaching over, he harshly took the reins of Asva, pulling the horse to a stop. The sudden stop make the horse rear up, throwing [Y/N] off and to the ground. He wasted no time dismounting, going over to her side about to help her stand, only to have the tip of a dagger at his throat.

Link froze in his spot while his blue eyes met [Y/N]’s [E/C] ones. Her eyes showed him the fear that she had within her. He didn’t know why she was afraid, but he also knew that if he moved, he would find that dagger in his throat. With his hands held in the air, Link watched as she slowly rose to her feet, her voice cold yet also shaking “Link. Move out of my way.” He stood his ground firmly, keeping his gaze locked with hers “No. You know I can’t let you go into an area that is potentially danger-” “TO HELL WITH THAT LINK! MY PARENTS ARE IN DANGER!” He was shocked when she shouted suddenly, noticing that her hand and body began to shake. For the small amount he had known her, he hadn’t seen a stitch of fear from her, even when she took Ganondorf head on. Whatever it was that involved her parents, it had stuck her bad. So, he stood and listened to her.

“Link...He told me that he was going to kill my parents. I don’t know if he already did which is why I have to get to them as fast as I could. If they’re alive, I will save them. No matter how dangerous it is, no matter what stands in my way. Do you understand.” He knew the determination she had in her eyes, it mirrored his own. Anytime he needed to save Hyrule, he had that exact same mindset. No matter how dangerous, no matter what stood in his way. He also knew that there was no talking her out of it, so he did the net best thing. “Fine,” He said, pulling the dagger away from him “But we are going with you.”

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It didn’t take long for the group to get to [Y/N]’s house, not with the speed they were pushing their horses at. Link knew that she didn’t w

ant to waste a second which is why he didn’t say anything to her, letting her lead them all the way. When they got close however, Link noticed a stench had filled the air. He stopped [Y/N] by calling out her name, causing her to look at him. When he dismounted, he looked around the area before asking sadly “Do you smell that..” She looked at him with confusion on her face, before her eyes widened “Blood..” She gasped, turning and sprinting through the few remaining trees. Link helped Jasmine down from Epona’s saddle, before going after [Y/N]

He made it to the clearing not long after her, but as soon as he did, he felt bile rise in his throat. The scene before them was horrific. Blood was everywhere, covering the trees, the ground, the house. The stable was destroyed along with the small farm next to it, and the house door was ripped away. In the center, were two corpses. The bodies were so mangled and destroyed that it was impossible for Link to tell if he knew them. But he saw matching rings on their fingers that told him who they were. They were [Y/N]’s parents. Having enough of the violence, he had to look away, the hero saying a small prayer to the goddess’ that their death was quick, though he knew it wasn’t true. 

They were covered in lashes, the arm of one tossed off the the side with the guts of the other easily seen. Link knew of only one creature this violent, and animalistic, it was a creature that Link only fought once, when Ganondorf had first been defeated in his current lifetime. He didn’t even know the name, but he had seen the chaos it brought. The creature was indescribable, Link not even wanting to think of the appearance. But he knew how it killed, and this was it. He heard the sound of someone beginning to walk through the blood, figuring it was [Y/N] since Jasmine had moved over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

Link forced himself to look up, pushing past the blood and death to see what she was going to do. [Y/N] had been slowly walking towards the bodies, her entire body visible shaking. “Mother...Father…” Her voice was weak, soft, as if any strength she had was just...gone. She fell to her knees before the corpses, tears falling from her eyes down her cheeks. No sound came from her when she was on the ground, as if she had lost her voice. And then she screamed. She screamed loudly, the sorrow she felt unleashed in her voice. Link felt the sadness she did, remembering when he had done the same thing, two hundred years ago. 

The screams turned to sobs, the poor girl unable to pull herself away from the horrific scene she saw. So, Link helped her. Walking away from Jasmine, Link moved to kneel at her side, placing a soft hand on her shoulder once there. Her gaze met his, though only for a second before she collapsed in his arms, her hands holding tightly to his tunic. She needed a shoulder to cry on, and he was going to give it to her. 

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Once [Y/N] had soon stopped her tears, Link buried the bodies for her, so she could stand and mourn them. Around her neck were her parents rings, so she would always have something to remember them by. Link stepped back when he finished covering the makeshift graves, sticking two pieces of wood before trying a piece of white cloth around both. He turned, expecting to see [Y/N] still standing there, but instead, he saw her walking towards her destroyed home. He quickly walked in after her, asking confused “What are you doing?” 

“There is something here that I need to get. Hopefully the monster that did this was unable to find it.” He had no clue what she was talking about, until he watched her in the home. She carefully climbed over the furniture that had been tossed to the side, making her way over to a torn bansiter. Reaching her hand up, she grabbed the cloth, tugging harshly to pull it down, revealing the Sheikah Eye, mark of the Sheikah clan. Link’s eyes went wide with shock upon seeing this. She had lied to him, she said she had no knowledge of the Sheikah Clan, that they had been wiped out! And there she was, tracing the symbol with her blood.

When the symbol was fully traced, a door seemed to open in front of her. He was about to step towards the opening, before he was stopped by her. “Stay here,” she ordered, her back still facing him “Only those of the clan are permitted to enter, and you are not one.” Without anything else said, she vanished down the stairs, leaving Link to stand alone in the destroyed home. She did not return till some time later, and when she did, Link saw someone else step through the door. A face that he knew had assisted his ancestor. Unable to shake away his shock, he asked “Sheik?” 


	7. Chapter 6

[Y/N] said nothing when Link said the name, Link watching as she simply walked over the rubble. The silence between them hung in the air for a few moments, until [Y/N] stood in front of the door. She turned back at him to say calmly “We cannot stay long. What ever did this might come back and we cannot afford to let them find that girl you brought, what was her name again?” Link felt his teeth grind together from his frustrations “Jasmine.” “Yes Jasmine. We need to get her to Kakariko where my grandmother can speak with her.”   
She stepped out before Link could ask any other questions, so he took off after her, calling [Y/N] Wait! You need to expali-” “Do not call me by that name.” He froze in his spoke, feeling all of the frustration building up quick. If he didn’t get some answers he knew that he would start acting rashly. So, he let out a very low hiss “Then what do I call you.” She stopped, turning to face him. He took advantage of this to look over her face. Her mouth was covered by the mask but he saw the red eyes full of nothing but seriousness. “When I am acting of my duty, you are to refer to me as the name granted to me by the ancestors. To protect who I am, I ask that you call me Shiek. Before you ask I will tell you, no I am still not the princess reborn. It is only a name.” 

She once again turned to walk away from him, leaving Link to act. He grabbed her arm, a little harsher than he meant too, and forced her to face him. “Okay then. Sheik. Can you answer me this. Why did you lie about the tribe. If you’re one of them you should know my connections with them.” [Y/N] appeared almost bored with this question, answering blandly “It has been 200 years hero. For all I knew you might have been effected by what ever trapped you so many years ago.” Her accusation of not being able to trust him made Link’s blood boil. His grip tightened around her arm, asking “Alright. One more. Why did Ganondorf feel it necessary to send his most powerful creature here for two innocent people.” 

Something flashed in her eyes, Link unable to catch it what exactly it was. Fear, grief, something. But he didn’t think long, for [Y/N] pulled her arm free of his grasp. She still faced him as she said “I cannot tell you that information. It is classified, however if we get back to my village-” “No. You are going to tell me.” He felt his anger rising in his chest, why was she holding so much as a simple answer back from him. He could be trusted, he didn’t change. Or, at least he didn’t think so.” [Y/N] glanced over at a Jasmine, before she began to say “As I told you I cann-” “Yes. You can. And you will.” 

His demands seemed to have tipped something on in her, since he saw anger flash across her eyes with no question, causing him to flinch some. “Fine. I guess while we stand here and wait to be killed I’ll tell you. He killed them because of me. My parents are dead BECAUSE OF ME.” Link’s eyes widened in shock as she continued “He wanted to look for one of three Sheikah members who know of ancient knowledge and teachings. That is me. The other two you couldn’t get out of me even if you put me through hell.” She spat out the words at him with so much venom he swore it could have killed. When she turned away, he watched her walk away towards the horses, but he still needed answers. And he planned to get them.

Without knowing why or when, Link drew his sword, and held it to her neck, growling lowly “I plan on getting some more answers before I let you leave.” She didn’t even flinch despite him holding a blade to her neck, the girl only moving her head slightly to look back at him “You dare point a blade at me hero. All for answers that you can get later.” “Well I’m not one who enjoys waiting after being lied to for most of the day.” She only chuckled, Link not knowing why until she moved. Faster than he could register, she knocked the sword away and held her own dagger to his throat “You will get nothing until I find it necessary for you to know. Hero.” 

He hated the way she glared at him, like he was some monster who had no reason of standing with her. But he knew that she was the true monster. She somehow turned Ganondorf's power against him, that made her just as untrustworthy as she thought he was. “I guess that to be expected,” He spat back, glaring at her coldly “I doubt I can trust you either. Considering you might be working with Ganondorf after what happened back at the town.” He watched her own eyes widen some, but before either could make another movement, Jasmine’s voice called “Stop it!”   
Her hand grabbed [Y/N]’s, thus pulling the dagger away from his throat as she exclaimed “Both of you are supposed to be allies! Standing around here isn’t going to figure anything out..” [Y/N] stood straight, nodding her head “I agree. My apologies that I didn’t get us moving sooner,” Her eyes narrowed towards Link “I was being held up by a distraction.” Turning on her heel, she stalked off towards the horses. The moment she was out of earshot, Jasmine hissed towards Link “Whats wrong with you!? Before you were so worried about her! Now you’re acting as if she is Ganondorf himself! The poor girl’s life was destroyed in the matter of a few hours today. Can’t you show at least a little compassion for her?” Link watched [Y/N] as she adjusted her mounts saddle, hissing in response “Something like her doesn’t deserve sympathy.”

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One the group had left the destroyed home, Link kept Epona behind Asva as [Y/N] took the lead. Jasmine rode with him and the entire time she was talking to him to understand his sudden distrust for the female riding in front of them. If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t really know. He of all people knew to never judge someone by what they do but by who they are. She had proved herself to be a good person, but something about how she lied to his face, called him untrustworthy, and that power she has just made him uneasy. That lead to his anger getting piled up with no real way of getting rid of it besides taking it out on someone or something. 

He refused to speak to [Y/N] just as she refused to speak to him. Jasmine broke the silence between them by asking “So umm...Sheik where are we going?” Without even looking back, she answered “We are going to Kakariko village. There you will talk with my grandmother so she can see what is the cause of you bringing forth Ganondorf from wherever he had been hiding.” She went silent once more, leaving Link to his own thoughts. The silence hung in the air for the majority of their journey, the group traveling until the sky had begun to go dark. Finally, Jasmine shouted “ALRIGHT! ENOUGH OF THIS!” Throwing her arms into the air, the female exclaimed “This silence is driving me crazy, you two need to say something to each other! Be friends again!” 

Link frowned some, muttering “What is there to talk about. All she’ll do it lie about most of it probably.” He saw her body tense up as if she was about to comment back, but instead, he watched a plant rise from the ground. In a flash he drew his sword, rearing back Epona with a shout “[Y/-” He didn’t need to warn her, since he watched as [Y/N] leapt from her horse, flying through the air with her dagger in her hand. She landed atop one of the Deku Baba’s that had grown from the ground, easily killing it with one blow, before launching herself to another. Link was unable to watch her assist her since he was focused on keeping Jasmine safe, and making sure none of them got close enough to Epona.

The next thing he knew, he had just killed one, when he head the sound of a sick thud against a tree. He looked up to see one of them had managed to knock [Y/N] off her feet and pin her to a tree, the carnivorous plant going in for a kill. Despite not really trusting her very much, Link rushed to save her. He leapt off of Epona, using the momentum from his jump to fly over to the plant. Using his feet he kicked the creatures head, knocking it away before stabbing it with his blade. With the creature dead, he turned to [Y/N], saying “I’ll cut you down. Give me a minute.” Turning his sword, he had reached out to cut her down from the tree, but suddenly be felt something hit his back.

The Master Sword slipped from his hand as he found himself also tied to the tree. Straining his neck he saw Jasmine dusting off her hands, Link shouting “Jasmine!? What are you doing!?” The black haired female placed her hands on her hips, saying “I’m tired of you two right now. I’m going to get the horses. While I’m gone, you can talk and forgive each other. Got it?” Not really giving either the chance to argue, she turned and left them alone.

With a groan, Link somehow managed to wiggle so he wasn’t stuck facing a tree, but felt that she tied him good to the tree. Resting his head against the bark, Link muttered “Great. I’m stuck here, with you. With no way of getting down.” “It’s no picnic for me either Hero.” [Y/N] muttered in return under her breath, leaving both in silence once again. After a few minutes, he decided it was a good time to talk “Well. I guess while were here we can,  _ clear up _ , some unanswered information.” He could see her roll her eyes when he started talking, but it didn’t stop her from replying “I told you everything I can-” “No. No you haven’t. I know you’re keeping more information from me.” 

Keeping his gaze on her, he met her eyes when she looked at him “What are talking about.” He could see the annoyance but also a strange look of pain in her eyes when she met his, Link asking without breaking the eye contact “How about you tell me how you broke free of Ganondorf's power. He trapped you and I know that someone is as good as dead if he does that, yet you managed to break free AND use his own shadow against him, even if it didn’t do much.” He saw her eyes fill with fear at his question, quickly turning away. She wasn’t defending herself, and Link didn’t know why. Normally, he would have apologized and left the question to be forgotten, but instead, something inside him, something dark, began turning inside of him. 

Without knowing why, Link growled “Oh have you gone mute now? JUST WONDERFUL!” He laughed in annoyance “I’m stuck to a tree, without a mute person, who just happens to control shadows as well. GREAT!” His mind began blinded by something inside him he couldn’t understand, telling him that she was a monster, that she couldn’t be trusted “Are you going to explain yourself? Or will you not defend yourself?” His words were causing her to flinch every time he spoke, which seemed to fuel the darkness in him “I guess it’s expected from someone like you, who lies through their teeth all the time. I wonder if you mother and father were-” “Don’t you DARE talk about them like that! DON’T EVEN SPEAK ABOUT THEM!”

She turned on him with such a glare of murderous hate that even Ganondorf would have flinched, Link able to see the anger in her eyes. Link met her gaze with his own anger, hissing “Well seeing as that is who you are I can only assume that you were raised to be that way!” Finally, Link watched as something insider her snapped, leaving [Y/ N] to scream “YOU WANT TO KNOW!? FINE. IT’S A CURSE OKAY! I’M CURSED WITH THIS BLOODY POWER.”


	8. Chapter 7

Everything inside of him vanished when he heard her scream. The darkness that powered his words, that fuel his anger, just, gone. Replaced by a wave of guilt. Taking a moment to process, he asked softly “How can a curse give you a power that matches Ganondorf's.” She turned her head away, refusing to make eye contact with him any longer “I..I don’t know. All I know is that I was born with it, that’s all..” He couldn’t believe it, yes he had heard of curses before, hell he had a few put on him once or twice before they were removed. But never anything like this before. 

“Surely you must know something more!” He pleaded, trying to fight back the darkness that tried to rise once again. “I don’t. I told you just as much as I know...but go ahead…tell me I’m lying.” The sadness in her voice made Link’s chest tighten. How could he have been so stupid, how could he have been so harsh and unforgiving to her. What Jasmine had told him was true, her entire life was destroyed and all he did was hate her for it. “No, [Y/N] I-” “I already know. I’m a disgusting monster...something that shouldn’t be alive..”

She finally brought her gaze to meet his, her red eyes filled with sadness, weakness. Link couldn’t even speak as she continued, “I understand that you hate me. That if given the chance, I’m sure you would even kill me yourself. So go ahead, hate me, belittle me, tell me that I am no better than the woman who kill your princes, since I hold that same power. I don’t care. Just please...don’t let it...distract you from...our mis..sion..” Her words suddenly got weaker along with her voice, Link watching with wide eyes as she turned away only to go limp. “[Y/N]!? [Y/N]! What’s wrong!?” He studied her to try and see what was wrong, finally noticing that her skin had gone pale, and blood was dripping down from her side through the vines. 

Frantically, he called out “JASMINE ENOUGH GAMES! GET US DOWN!” He struggled to try and free himself from the vines, cursing to himself the entire time. He had been so stupid, he should have noticed her wound earlier, but he had been blind. Link, still struggling to free himself, heard footsteps approach from behind “Jasmine that the goddess’. It’s-” THe feeling of a blade at his neck made him freeze in place, a woman's voice hissing “Pray tell. Who are you and what are you doing tied to this tree. Are you a trap to destroy our home?” He took a deep breath, not speaking until he felt the blade press against his neck more. “I am not a trap. I don’t know who you are but I need help. There is a girl on the other side of me, we were attacked by Deku Babas and she got hurt, she needs medical attention fast.” 

The person behind him slowly walked around him, the blade never leaving his neck. He got a good look as her once she had moved, Link seeing someone that looked identical to a friend from 200 years ago. He didn’t say anything however, since as soon as the woman saw [Y/N], she gasped “Sheik!” She removed her blade from Link’s neck, using it to cut the two down, ending with Link landed directly on his butt. He quickly rose to his feet to help with the wounded hylian, but was stopped by the blade once again. The female, now obviously a member of the Sheikah, whistled, her call bringing forth a group of Sheikah warriors. One took [Y/N] from the woman, leaving Link and her to stand face to face.

“You have yet to answer my question stranger. Who are you.” Not taking his eyes off of her, Link slowly removed the gauntlet on his left hand “My name is Link. I was born two hundred years ago. I guess I am what you would call the hero of that age.” He held up his hand to show her the mark of the Triforce, and when he did, her eyes went wide. In a second, she was on the ground bowing her head “Forgive me Hero! I did not know it was you, and when I saw my ally harmed I was blinded by worry.” Link shook his head, looking up to see if [Y/N] was still there, “It’s fine I understand. Will she be okay? Deku Baba venom can be deadly…” The Sheikah rose to her feet, sheathing her large sword behind her back “Sheik shall be fine. Our fastest rider is already on his way with her to bring her to the doctor of the village.” 

“Good...we were on our way to Kakariko anyway-” “If that is the case, the please, allow me to bring you there myself to make up for my grave mistake!” Link let the idea roll over in his head, figuring it would be nice to have a guide since it was nighttime and he didn’t really know if the way had changed. Finally, he answered with a smile “That sounds like a perfect idea...umm” The Sheikah female smiled “Nahira, great hero.” Link rose an eyebrow some “Right...that sounds like a good plan thank you. OH! There was another girl traveling with us, she had black hair and- oh never mind there she is.” He waved at Jasmine, who was being led by a pair of Sheikah warriors, their horses behind her. 

Nahira eyed Jasmine for a second, before she turned and mounted a horse, guestruing for the two to follow “Well since you both appear unharmed, let us make our way to Kakariko, the journey is not far. 

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Just as Nahira had said, the journey to the village was not long, a simple two mile ride on the horses. They arrived in the village with their way lit by the moon, Link looking around with a feeling of nostalgia washing over him. He and the princess had often visited Kakariko, to talk with friends and be surrounded by an atmosphere of comfort and warmth. He remembered the fond memories, before the dawning realization hit him. Those friends would have been dead, considering 200 years had passed. The nostalgia was replaced by a sharp pang of sadness that stabbed at his heart, Link quickly shaking his head.

When they entered the village, the group was swarmed by children, none over the age of 10 yet. They all asked questions to Nahira, about who the people she brought back were, or why [Y/N] had been rushed away without saying hello. Link watched her as she answered the questions with a smile on her face, pointing towards him “I brought the great hero of legend.” Before he even had a chance to blink, the children swarmed around him, each one shouting his name and smiling. It was just like it was back then, and seeing that, brought a bright smile to Link’s face. He made sure to slow Epona down so he could talk with the children easier, noticing how Jasmine seemed to tense up some. With a glance, he hummed “What’s wrong?” He didn’t see her expression, but she let out a sigh “I’ve never been very fond of kids. Just get annoying sometimes with all of their needs to be loud.”

Link only laughed some, returning his attention to the kids “Well just remember you used to be just like them, with the need to be loud and annoying.” She said nothing in response, leaving Link to talk to the children with a bright smile that never faded. He didn’t even realize it when they made it to a large house until Epona had stopped and he heard Nahira say “Alright young ones return to your mothers and fathers. There is business myself and the Hero must attend to.” With a cluster of sad faces and awes, the children turned, returning to their homes as they were told. Nahira dismounted her horse, Link doing the same before helping Jasmine off, the two following Nahira inside soon after.

No sooner than when they stepped inside, Link saw a woman wearing what he assumed was nurses attire rushed forward, exclaiming “Lady Nahira come quick! It is [Y/N], she is having one of her nightmares. The doctors can’t heal her wound with her struggling so please help!” The Sheikah warrior did not hesitate to follow the woman, ordering Link and Jasmine “Please wait here until I send someone to get you!” Link was stunned by the information, something was wrong with her, something was wrong with [Y/N]. He felt Jasmine place a hand on his arm, calling his name, but he pulled away, running after Nahira.

He followed her through the halls till he found himself standing outside of what appeared to be a infirmary. He saw a number of nurses and Nahira standing around a bed, Nahira obviously trying to hold someone down. Link saw a flash of [H/C] hair and knew who she was holding. He also heard the sound of someone whimpering, almost like a pup who had been harmed or abandoned. Link took a step into the room, prepared to go over to see if he could help, before he was stopped by a gentle hand that touched his shoulder. Turning, Link saw an elderly woman who had a kind face but powerful eyes. Eyes that felt so familiar to him. The woman smiled softly when she looked at his face, leaving Link to whisper softly “Impa…?”

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**_“That girl. The one who can control shadows, she is the Sheikah you are looking for my lord.”_** **_“I see._** **This is certainly interesting news. Tell me, where is she now.” “** ** _She made it to Kakariko with her little party. Shall I take them out and retrieve her?”_** **“No, be patient. That land is protected by the goddess’ so you wouldn't be able to have any help. Just watch them, tell me anything else you learn.”** Ganondorf leaned away from the pool as his messenger disappeared from its sight, the king of shadow’s purring **“You certainly are full of surprises little Sheikah...what else are you made of.”**


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Hey guys, so sorry for lack of updates. I promise I haven't forgotten this story I swear, I have just reticently started school so I have been working on the story there. That and on occasions I hit little blocks that sometimes makes it hard for me to figure out what to do in some chapters, but yeah! I haven't forgotten about it! I also already have the chapters planned...it's just writing them out that gets me

The woman only smiled at Link, using the hand on his shoulder to guide him forward. He followed in a silent shock, no one stopping him as he was guided over to the bed where they held [Y/N] down. He didn’t know why she was taking him over, but he didn’t try to pull away either. The elder woman, once at the bedside, slowly sat down, shooing the doctors away. “Come Hero,” She said gently, holding her hand out for him to take. He did without question, watching as she guided his hand over to [Y/N]’s forehead, here she set it gently. The moment she did, a bright light erupted from the Triforce of Courage, causing Link to instantly pull his hand away. He held his hand to his chest, shocked at what happened. The woman only laughed some, her frail hand going where his once was “Do not be afraid. You will not be hurt.”

His blue eyes scanned her expression, unable to see anything that told him her reason for bringing him over to her. He didn’t take his eyes off of her as she used her other hand to point to [Y/N]’s back. They followed her gesture and laid upon what he saw. Covering her entire back, was a strange black mark. There were markings that he didn’t recognize, almost as if they were from another world. The woman studied his expression as he stared down at the mark, his mouth open in shock “What...What is that?” She did not answer, and before he could ask again, a hand placed itself on his shoulder, pulling him back. Nahria’s voice filled his ears, the female sheikah saying “Please Hero. The Elder must focus now and will answer your question later.”

Link couldn’t tear his eye away from the marking, not even when he was being lead out by Nahira. He was so lost and confused. Why did the triforce of courage react to him touching her? It did not do that before so why now? What was the marking that covered her back? The thoughts raced around his head as he was pushed out of the room, leaving him to stand alone in his thoughts. Someone called out his name once, then twice. The third time finally brought Link back to reality, where Jasmine stared at him with concerned eyes. “Link?” She asked, pulling the hero to sit down “How is she? Will she be alright?” “Oh...I don’t know...I didn’t ask because I was distracted...by something else.

He kept staring at the back of his left hand, his eyes transfixed on the mark of the Triforce. Jasmine gave up asking anymore questions, or so he figured since she simply sat down beside him with her head leaning against his shoulder and her hand on his knee. He couldn’t tell if it was to comfort him or simply because she was tired, but feeling her against him felt nice...and he could have almost fallen asleep had the door not opened and the same elderly woman stepped out. Link was on his feet in a second, ignoring the frustrated grumble from Jasmine as he did. “Impa is it you? How are you still here? What happened-” The woman held her hand up, glancing over at Jasmine “Not here. We must speak in private. I am sure you have many questions.”

Link nodded, and turned back to wave for Jasmine to follow “Come on then Jasmine, we can-” “No.” Impa interrupted “The girl stays.” He was slightly taken aback by the aggression the woman had, “No! No Impa it’s okay, me and [Y/- I mean Sheik had saved her! We think she might be-” “I know who she is. But what I am to tell you is for you ears alone. Not her’s, not anyone else’s. Your’s alone,” With his hands in the air, he nodded “Okay! Okay, Jasmine stay here then I guess...I’ll be back in a little while..” The woman turned and slowly walked down the hall with Link following close behind, the pair entering a small room with a simple table, a few pillows and a bookshelf with ancient looking books. 

Link closed the door behind them and helped her sit down on a pillow, soon following and sitting across from her. The second he sat down, he asked sadly “You’re not the Impa I knew...are you?” Impa shook her head, her pure white hair swinging with her “No, I am not. That would be my Great Great Grandmother. The name is passed down so I am still Impa however. I know all of the stories that she told of you and the princess, so I still have answers to some of your questions.” “Who is Sheik..or well-” “It is safe to call her by her civilian name here Hero. It is safe to use so long as you are not in an area where her identity could be a threat.” He nodded slightly in understanding “Okay..who is [Y/N]’s grandmother?” “Me.”

His eyes widened in surprise, all of the information settling on his mind “You’re...okay I did not see that coming. I guess it explains how she knew all of that stuff though..” Impa smiled softly at Link as he thought about what to ask name, until the one question that had been sitting on the back of his mind resurfaced “What...is she.” “Who do you mean?” “I mean [Y/N]...what is she.” It was Impa’s turn to look surprised with a small bit of faked confusion “What do you mean? She is a hylian, just like yourself.” Why was she not understanding. He felt almost embarrassed asking this but to clarify he muttered “But she has the powers of Ganondorf...or rather a power like it. She can use a dark magic.” She only hummed in response to his question, leaving Link slightly frustrated “She is not a monster if that is what you are asking. She was simply born with the powers she had now.”

Impa gestured to a book that rested on the table in front of him, not letting him ask another question “Open the book to the bookmarked page, and tell me what you see.” Link silently obeyed, opening the old book to the silk bookmark, where he saw the same mark as before, as well as notes or other various writings. “We do not know much. The day of her birth, my daughter and I went to the Great Fairies fountain to pray to the goddess. We asked for answers and that was all they could give us. A old book with random words or phrases.” He read the words on the page out loud, confusion lacing his tone “The mark of shadows is a blessing and a curse. Those who are born shall be consumed by the darkness or welcomed by the light...what is that supposed to mean!?” 

She shook her head “We don’t know ourselves. We’ve talked to some of our most trusted scholars. No one knows or has been able to figure out what it means. We think it could mean that there are some who were born with the same mark and were driven into instainty from the power, and those welcomed by light means that others managed to control it and use the power for good. It is only speculation however. The next page is what I wish to talk to you about.” He turned the page and read aloud the first sentence at the top “The one who bears this mark shall have the power of darkness, but if harmed and the spirit is long, the wielder can be consumed by another. What is this supposed to mean?”  
“It means,” She said calmly “That my granddaughter is not the monster nor as powerful as you may think she is.” A laugh of disbelief came from him “HOW!? She was strong enough to break free of Ganondorfs prison he had trapped her in, and then proceeded to use it against him! How is that not strong or terrifying to you!?” The moment he said Ganondorf's name, Impa’s eyes widened in horror, the elder demanding “When did this happen!?” “This morning...at the weird ceremony thing that was held.” Impa looked down in thought, her hand resting on her chin “This is not good. Listen to me now Link. I need you to think about what the book says, about the mark. What do you think it means.”

He sighed slightly before he stared at the text before him. The one who bears the mark, like she did, has the power to control shadows. Pretty understandable. The next part is what confused him. If harmed and the spirit is lost, the wielder will be consumed by another of darkness...another of darkness. It suddenly clicked in his mind, Link looking up with a gasp “Ganondorf. Ganondorf could consume her mind and spirit. But only if harmed?” Impa nodded “Yes, Should she be weak or her spirit and mind are damaged, the shadow king could take control of her power and body, using it as a weapon to destroy Hyrule.”   

Link had a hard time actually processing it, a feeling of dread building in his stomach “And now that he knows that she had it..” “She has a target on her back. He will probably be hunting her for the rest of her life if he isn’t stopped. If we were able to remove the curse then she would be safer, but all we have only a single word.” She pointed to the bottom of the page Link was on, who read aloud “Light..” “That’s it. There is nothing else but that one word. And we haven’t dared tried anything due to the chance of her getting hurt. But tell me..” Link looked up to meet Impa’s eyes “What happened after [Y/N] used her power in front of Ganondorf.”   
“He told her something that I didn’t see after she had changed to attack him. She then raced off towards her home, where...where we found her parents killed by a creature controlled by Ganondorf…” Impa’s eyes darkened with sadness at the news she receives, her hand tightening around her cane “So my daughter and her husband are dead..may the goddess’ watch over them now.” Link nodded, closing the book before him “Link. I need you to promise me something.” He rose an eyebrow “I want you to keep [Y/N] on the path of light, to make sure that she never strays from who she is. Just the idea of her being controlled by that demon makes me shiver..”

Link met her eyes with a strong look of determination “I promise. Whatever happens I will protect her. It’s the least I can do for her.” She reached forward, Link taking her hand in his “Thank you Link. You do not know the weight you have taken off of my shoulders. I worried about her everyday after the extermination of almost all of the clan.” Link wanted to ask her about it, but decided against it, simply nodding in silent agreement. “You’ll have to apologize to her however. Nahira said she could hear you two fighting. Though she didn’t realize who it was she put two and two together.” His cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment “I...yes..there was something inside me that kept fueling my anger and I took it out on her, without meaning or even realizing it. It went away after she snapped, but now I just feel guilty...I have never acted so rashly or even so rude before in my life, I haven’t been able to apologize because well she was kinda hurt, and passed out before I could..”

Impa had a pleased smile on her face “Well you will have the chance tonight. But first.” The door behind him slid open, Link turning to see a tired looking [Y/N], dressed in simple sheikah clothing, step into the room “Nahira said you-” She paused for a second when she saw Link, but resumed right after “Nahira said that you needed to speak to me. I came as quickly as I could.” She sat down besides Link, who gave her space. Once she was seated, Impa looked between the two, her gaze calm “Now that you both are here, I believe that it is time for the two of you to learn the truth.”  


	10. Chapter 9

[Y/N] stared at her grandmother in confusion, with no clue what she was talking about. What did she mean by the truth? What lies were they being told that needed a truth? She was still slightly out of it since only minutes before she was in a medical room with doctors swarming her and her cousin telling her to go speak to the elder. [Y/N] glanced over at Link, who returned the look, before the two focused on Impa, who took a deep breath. “Everything you have been told, about the Triforce of Wisdom and the Princess’ reincarnation is a lie.” [Y/N] felt her eyes go wide “What!? How-” “I shall explain.” Her grandmothers face was calm, not showing any sign of concern or even shock at what she was telling them.

“The ceremony held every year, the way that...that council claims is the only way to find the princess. It is nothing but a lie woven to give the people of Hyrule a false hope. I know you have felt that there was something off about it [Y/N], and I can finally tell you why. The Triforce of Wisdom used is fake.” She gasped, her hand going over her mouth. Link muttered softly “That must be why the Triforce of Courage acted the way it did..I thought it was form Ganondorf, but instead it was telling me to not be fooled..” Impa nodded, pulling at a chain necklace that rested around her neck “Yes.”

[Y/N] spoke up quickly, still unsure of the entire situation “But Grandmother! What of the Triforce of Wisdom that the council has! The power it has! If it wasn't real then why did it react the way it did when I..” Her grandmother stopped her by holding up a hand “I shall get to that. For now just let me explain. Two hundred years ago, ten days after the princess’ death, her spirit came to my Great Great Grandmother in a dream. She told her three things. The first was that with the remaining power before she died, and with the help of the goddess’, she had shattered the Triforce of Wisdom into five pieces. Four she gave to each elder of the four tribes, and the fifth.” She pulled the chain free to reveal a golden pendant to the two “The fifth she gave to her to protect and pass down until the hero time.” 

She could hardly believe it. A shard of the golden triangle was right there, in front of her. She could feel its power and how it oddly...calmed her. She also felt a sense of hope seeing it there. This meant, that if the triforce of wisdom the council used was fake, perhaps the princess’ soul actually was out there, just waiting to be found. “The second thing she told her was that when the Hero would awaken from his dark slumber, he would need to be the one to return the broken pieces together, working alongside a child born of darkness. Together the two would join forces and be the ones to find her reincarnation.” [Y/N] [E/C]’s flickered over to the pendant that her grandmother held, not even needing to ask for an answer. “Yes,” Impa said to both “What you see before you is the first of five fragments of the Triforce of Wisdom. The other four are scattered about Hyrule.” Then, as she recalled the information she was told, [Y/N] went back to the...child born of darkness. “Grandmother..” she asked quietly, now looking down at her hands that remained in her lap “The child born of darkness…” “Yes my child...it is you. You are the chosen companion that is destined to travel with Link to repair the Triforce of Wisdom to what it was before.” 

Great, adventuring with Link, the one person who hated her the most. She could already tell that it was not going to be pleasant travels by how Link had acted before. But, what had her a bit confused, as when she glanced at Link, he almost seemed a bit...well she couldn’t even describe the expression on his face when he looked up to ask “What about Jasmine?” Ah...right...the girl that [Y/N] was pushed passed before she could even say hi. Impa rose an eyebrow "Jasmine?” “Yes. During the ceremony today, she was the one who approached the..well the fake Triforce of Wisdom and somehow brought forth Ganondorf and his minions. We brought her with us because we thought there was the chance she may be related to the princess.” Her grandmother thought about it, her expression furrowing “If she had the ability to call forth the king of shadows himself...then perhaps you are correct. There may be a connection between the princess and her...or..” Link didn’t need to stay confused long as [Y/N] finished 

“Or there is a darker power inside of her that Ganondorf wants for himself. Especially since he was weakened from his last reincarnation. Perhaps it would be best for her to stay here on our travels. That way she is protected by the village and its inhabitants.” She was a bit surprised to hear Link agree with her, but he also right away asked “What do you mean? When I fought Ganondorf two hundred years ago, both times, he seemed to be at his full strength.” Impa shook his head “He may have seemed that way, but he was not. Your ancestor, when he sealed away Ganondorf, took away part of his power and cast it off somewhere. By doing that he hoped that the shadow kings next reincarnation wouldn’t have enough power to be reborn. But as we all know that is not the case.” “No one knows where the past hero sealed Ganondorf’s stolen powers. Some speculate that he sealed it away with him after he died, or that it is hidden somewhere else. But it’s all just rumors.” 

That seemed to put an end to Link’s questions, and since Impa didn’t have anything else to say, the Elder took [Y/N]’s hands, and carefully set the fragment there, closing them into a first around them “I entrust this to you my grandaughter. May you protect it with your life, and never let it fall into darkness’ hands.” WHile she didn’t like the idea of having to carry around basically the fate of Hyrule around her neck, the sheikah took it without question. She carefully placed the chain around her neck, feeling a small surge of its power go through her. If it felt that powerful in pieces, she wondered what the completed thing would feel like. While Link and [Y/N] both rose to their feet, Impa instructed “I highly suggest that both of you get plenty of rest. You will leave at first light to begin your journey to each of the tribes. I shall tell you the final words of the princess then” Link nodded and [Y/N] bowed, before both exited the room.

The moment both of them exited, Link went straight to Jasmine, while [Y/N] completely ignored them, not caring about what they sid of if they even spoke to her directly. She just wanted to be alone to think of a bit before actually turning in. There was a window in her grandmother’s house that she used all of the time to climb up onto the roof. There were a ladder on that side of the building to there anyway so why not use it. So she climbed up the ladder and sat down in her comfortable spot, sitting down and hoping that she would be able to enjoy at least a bit of that day..but it seemed the goddess’ would allow her that, just in a different way. Just as she got settled and began looking up at the stars, she heard someone climb in. No one else knew about her spot, or at least they didn’t know how o get up there so hearing someone actually climb up shocked her a bit, causing her to look back and confront whoever it was. Much to her surprise (and distaste) it was Link.

She scoffed as she turned around to have her back to him again “What are you doing here.” She almost growled at him, her arms looped around her knees to pull them closer to her body “I..” He whispered, [Y/N] hear him tap his boot on the roof a bit “I wanted to talk to you.” “Why. So you can tell me about how I’m a monster and that you’re disgusted with having to work with me. How much you hate that I have to hold the fragment and not you, hell how much you hate me overall?” “I never hated you [Y/N].” That really shocked her, since she was not expecting that reaction. She felt Link walk over and sit down besides her, however she still refused to look at him as he began explaining “Was I frustrated? Yes, I’ve never been one to take being lied to very well, it’s just been something that always hit a nerve with me. But you had good reason to keep it and I should have accepted that...but…” She saw him curl his hands into fists almost as if HE was the one disgusted with himself “After the ceremony and learning about the power you have...something dark inside me just started to brew up. I don’t know what it was, or why I was feeling it, but it caused me to say those awful things..and hearing what you said to me in the forest made it go away, but...that isn’t any excuse for what I did” 

She now actually had turned to look at him as he spoke, a bit surprised that he was telling her all of this. He suddenly turned to meet her eyes, as if he knew she was staring, waiting for them to connect before he apologized “I understand if you can’t forgive me, but I still wanted to apologize, for everything. For what I said to you, about you getting hurt….about your parents.” [Y/N] flinched away “You were not involved in that..” “But I was. Had I let you go and not held you back, those few seconds could have saved their lives. So...I’m sorry.” Both of them went silent, [Y/N] moving her eyes to the stars. Was she surprised to hear Link apologize to her? Yes, yes she was. But she also was relieved, as now the past that had happened was put behind them both, especially for her since she wasn’t one to dwell on things that long. The silence hung in the air long enough, so [Y/N] decided to say something “You know...my mother showed me this spot. Anytime I had a nightmare me and her would sit up here for hours, just watching the stars. She always told me stories from the stars every night that would put me to sleep when she wanted me to. Father always scolded us for it when we were tired in the morning, but he didn’t stop us.”

She couldn’t help but smile as she recalled the fond memories of her and her parents, her hand taking the pendant around her neck in a gentle grip. Her [E/C] eyes watched two shooting stars fly above them, before she said to Link “Let’s save Hyrule together for them. So that they have a peaceful land to watch over with the goddesses.” She didn’t see it, but Link also smiled softly “Yeah...I like that plan.”


	11. Chapter 10

The sky was barely pink for the sign of the rising sun on the next morning that would begin the journey for the Hero of Hyrule and the Sheikah warrior. Said Sheikah warrior was already up and preparing the horses, giving them food and water. [Y/N] had always awoken before the sun as she was used to it from many sleepless nights. At first, after she had woken up she had originally planned to wake Link so he could help her get ready, but when she had gone to the room he was given to rest, something hit her. She realized, as she looked upon his sleeping form, that that had been his first decent sleep in two hundred years. So, she carefully shut the door, and planned to let him sleep longer while she went to gather the supplies. However that wasn’t to be the case.

[Y/N] was currently outside in her sheikah armor, saddling up the horses when she heard someone exit her grandmother’s house.When she looked up she was a bit surprised to see Link standing there. The hero of Hyrule looked very tired in his green tunic, his shaggy blonde hair a mess with sleep. “Well well!” She called out, pulling the final strap to ensure that Asva’s saddle was tightened “Hello there Sir Sleepy head! Here I thought I was going to have to save Hyrule on my own with how deep asleep you were!” She very clearly heard Links laugh as he made his way over to her “Well I mean that bed was very comfortable. I almost considered sleeping longer, but then I remembered I had to help you go save Hyrule.” [Y/N] laughed as she moved to stand before her horse “Darn destinies and prophecies, taking away all the precious time that could be spent sleeping!” 

As Link checked over Epona’s saddle, [Y/N] couldn't help but feel Link staring at her a lot. Truth be told she felt a little uneasy about it so she asked Him “Is there a reason you keep staring at me?” She seemed to have snapped him out of whatever trance he was in, as he suddenly shook his head “What? Oh! Umm..sorry,” He rubbed the back of his neck “I was just remembering her...we always poked fun at eachother like that it just...it brought up some memories of our time here.” It was very obvious about the sadness that filled his eyes when he spoke of the past princess, [Y/N] frowning a bit. She walked over to him and reached a hand out to place on his shoulder “Don’t worry Link. We will repair the Triforce of Wisdom and bring the princess back. Even if she isn’t your princess, at least you will have her back.” He gave her a sad smile but then quickly shook his head, changing the topic “So, what supplies do we need?” “Hmm..”

She thought for a moment before she replied “We will need arrows, lots of arrows. We will also need some cloaks. It gets pretty cold at night, especially if we need to head to Rito Village. Otherwise we can get the rations and canteens from my grandmother for traveling, and we can hunt for the rest food wise.” He needed a bit, having counted the items off on his fingers “I can go get the arrows if you want me to-” “Actually,” She cut him off “I figured we could go get the stuff together since Kakariko has changed around a bit in the past two hundred years.” Link seemed a bit shocked at her request, so much so that she actually thought she made the wrong move, at least until he nodded his head with a smile “Sure! I’d actually like that. If the village has changed then that means I would probably get lost and end up in someone's house somehow.” A snort escaped her lips as she nodded “Yeah probably. Come on, the arrow shop is close by actually.” [Y/N] pointed to the shop where they needed to go and soon enough the two of them made their way over. 

While they approached the shop, [Y/N] noticed something, or rather someone by the shop. “Who is that?” She asked mostly to herself as she picked up pace. Soon enough that person became people, and those people turned out to be a set of three children, all who should not have been up at the time it was. A boy in the group was holding a bow and struggling the notch the arrow. He and his friends were too busy with that to notice as Link and [Y/N] walked up behind him, [Y/N] clearing her throat with a stern “Just what do you think you three are doing out here? The sun isn’t even up. You all need to be in bed asleep.” All of them jumped in surprise, the boy with the bow stuttering “Miss [Y/N] We...we were...we umm..” He was frantically trying to think of an excuse but a girl in the group spoke up instead “We wanted to practice shooting a bow! We saw you a few days ago practicing when you and your family were visiting. We saw you knock down a dozen apples from the apple tree!” They pointed to a tree in Kakariko Village, a very tall oak that had been growing there for centuries and that often bore fruit around this current time of year. The final boy nodded in agreement “Yeah yeah! When we saw that we wanted to practice so we could be as good as you!” 

She let out a sigh, rubbing the bridge of her nose “It was only one apple, and that was also because I had spoken to Miss Mecross about using her apple trees as target practice. You three, do not even have permission to be out here.” “Well how do you know!” The little boy challenged, [Y/N] kneeling down to look at them “Because I know your parents, and none of them would have let you out here this early.” All three of them frowned and looked down at the ground, the little girl kicking her feet into the ground “we just wanted to show you how good we had gotten but we heard you were going to be leaving for a really long time…” [Y/N] rose an eyebrow but let out a small sigh “Yes, I am going to be leaving for a while. But….” She smiled slightly “Why don’t we make a deal. I will give you a few tips to practice while I’m away, but you must promise to go right back to bed, and practice with someone here to help you, like Nahira. She’s good with a bow.” “But not as good as you! No one is better than you!” A snort came from behind her which brought [Y/N] to look up and see Link trying to hold back a smile. “Something funny hero?” 

Link, realizing he was caught, held up his hands in defense “What? No no, no keep going~” He was obviously teasing her. Yes one of the Hero’s known skills was archery, but [Y/N], from hearing how good he was, had practice to the point where she was just as good. And hearing his little remark told her he challenged her. She took the arrows and bow, now pointing to the great oak tree in Kakariko village. “Pay attention to that tree.” Once they were all focused on the tree, she held the bow “The most important thing is your stance, once you have the stance down, aiming will become much easier. And as you get more skill soon you will even be able to fire an arrow on horseback or when moving. You need to keep your feet aligned and roughly the distance of your shoulders. Once you are in your stance, you must notch your arrows.” Rather than one, [Y/N] notched three, showing them the proper way to hold it “You will only be practicing with one, but once you master that, you can move onto two and so forth. Once the arrow is set and held, you need to raise it up and aim.” She brought the bow up to her chest “Keep the arrow aligned with you ears, shoulders up, elbow up. Once you have that you must take a deep breath and release. Just like this.” She followed the steps, focusing on the tree that she was aiming for. Taking a deep breath, she held it for a second, before she released, the arrows flying through the trees. As the arrows hit the rocks of the cliff behind it, Link was about to say “You missed-” But stopped as three Cuccos flew out of the tree, unharmed but frightened.

All three children started with wide eyes while Link himself let out a whistle “Okay props to you. I didn’t even notice those birds in there.” “Exactly. You must be observant. One of the many things you are taught when become a sheikah warrior. Now, you three off to bed.” She returned the bow and arrows to the children, each one giving her a hug around her legs before they all ran off. [Y/N] had a smile on her face while the children ran off, which lead to “Oh my goddess she has a smile! The mighty Sheik is smiling!” Her head snapped over in his direction at his comment, [Y/N] protesting with a slight blush on her cheeks “Hey! What’s that supposed to mean! I smile! I smile all the time! YOU’VE EVEN SEE ME SMILE!” He snickered as he quickly retreated up the stairs to the arrow shop, just as she swung to hit his shoulder. “Hey get back here you brat!” She called out, chasing him into the shop. 

She had manners so she didn’t start swinging at him when they entered the store but she was darn close about to. While Link looked around at the store, she picked up a few bundles of arrows, also grabbing a few fire arrows as well. Link grabbed a bow and tested it out for himself, [Y/N] noticing this and calling “If you want it I can afford it, after all you will need one for our journey.” He brought it over and placed it with all of the arrows as [Y/N] called “Anjila? We need to get these before we go? Are you here?” “Yes dear! Just packing something up really quickly!” The Sheikah warrior leaned over the counter a bit to see where she would be coming from, until the woman in question came out of a door, carrying a small pouch in her hands. “Ahh here we are dear! Is this everything you want?” [Y/N] nodded, pulling out the pouch for rupees to pay for them, but was stopped “Oh don’t worry about paying dear. You and the Hero will need the money for your journey. They are on the house today.” 

A look of surprise appeared on her face when the shop keeper said that, [Y/N] wanting to protest but being cut off again “No buts dear. It’s the least I can do after you helped me and my husband when our little girl got lost outside the village. That and I want to give you this,” She handed the pouch to [Y/N] “It has all a few of my specially made cookies, two jars of homemade jam, and a jug of sweet milk for you two to enjoy on your travels.” Now it was too much “Oh Anjila you didn’t have to do all this. I would have been fine paying for the arrows and you didn’t need to go through the trouble of bringing me all this!” Anjila shook her head, placing both of hands over [Y/N]’s “I felt like I had to. Your cousin came in here telling me about how you were going off and to say farewell when you came by for supplies, so I needed to give you something as both a thank you good luck, and a I’m sorry for your loss...she told us what happened to your parent’s too..” A sharp pang of sorrow hit her heart at the mention of her parents, a single flash of their corpses passing through her head “Thank you...I appreciate it very much.” Anjila smiled and came around the counter, embracing the girl in a tight hug “Hmm good luck dear. Save Hyrule for all of us okay? And you,” She looked over at Link “Keep this one out of trouble alright? She has the tendency to somehow find it everywhere she goes.” Link nodded with a gentle smile “I promise.” 

With a final goodbye, [Y/N] and Link gathered up the bow, the arrows, and the gift with them as they exited the shop. As they began walking away, Link commented “Everyone here seems to know you so well. Is that just because you trained to become a sheikah warrior?” “Yes, and the fact that I grew up here when I started training around five years old, so everyone sort of became co-parents with my real ones. Everyone in the village helps each other out all of the time, so it’s not like I’m special.” The hero shrugged a bit, adjusting the bow on his back “How come you started training so early? Isn’t the normal age of training around seven or eight?” [Y/N] nodded some, now strapping the bag onto her hip “Yeah..but because of my curse and the nightmares they brought..I started a bit earlier since being in the village. We had plans to come when I was of age but..well things happened and we came sooner.” Now all she was doing was fueling his curiosity in knowing more about her, so he asked “What happened?” “I’d rather not say at the moment…” “Okay...well can you at least tell me about your nightmare? I’ve had them plenty of times myself.” 

She tossed the idea of telling him around for a bit in her head, before she figured it probably wouldn't be that bad...after all it had been a while since she had the one that haunted her childhood. [Y/N] stopped walking as she figured it would be better to stop than to walk and talk. “They all started the same every night when I was young...I was standing alone, in a field of blood. There was blood one me, on my hands,” She wrung her hands together as the images flashed in her mind “In Front of me was a mountain of bodies, with two people standing atop of them, a and and a woman. They are holding the corpse of another woman..choking her...she struggles to get but can’t...as her hand feel from the hand choking he, a golden light appears from her chest. Just as the man goes to grab it, another man, just as dark and blood soaked charges at him. He kills both the man and the woman...but by doing so, Hyrule is sunken into chaos. The scene changes and I’m standing in the midst of the burning castle. People are screaming, running for their lives. The man who killed the other two stalked through the throne room, going to a king...killing him as well...Then...a golden form of a woman appears before me, but before she can ever reach out to me, I always..” 

[Y/N] felt her knees go weak as the entire dream played out in her head over, stumbling a bit as Link catches her, quickly saying “[Y/N] breathe..I shouldn’t have asked, now just breathe for me really slowly.” She couldn’t believe that she was appearing so weak in front of Link, the hero that she was supposed to assist. With a quick shake of her head she rose to her feet “I’m fine...I...I always woke up screaming before I could ever hear that the woman wanted. It’s been a while since I’ve had that nightmare. So don’t worry abou to me.” She began a brisk walk forward towards the clothing shop where they could be getting their cloaks, shaking her head to push back the memories. “Sorry,” Link said as he caught up “I shouldn’t have asked. I hope I didn’t bring up any bad memories.” “I’m fine. Come on, we are here.” [Y/N] pushed open the door, hearing as the small bell chimed, announcing their entrance. For a few moments, no one responded as they walked through the clothing store filled with colorful cloaks, armor, and outfits.

[Y/N] approached the counter first, calling out for the storekeeper that she knew well “Amel? Are you in here?” After no reply for a few moments, she turned around to face Link “Maybe he isn’t here?” However when she saw Link, his blue eyes were wide as he silently and slowly raised a hand to point. She turned again to see what he was pointing to, only to be met face to face with a very creepy looking mask, drapped in long stips of fabric. She let out a very loud shriek on surprise, and even would have drawn a dagger if she had some on her. The mask started at her, before a very feminine voice asked “[Y/N]!? What are you doing here so early!” She recognized the voice of the person behind the mask, placing a hand on her chest with a sigh “Oh Amel that’s you...we came to get some cloaks becaus-” “OH RIGHT!” In a flurry of fabric, the mask was removed to reveal the man who owned the shop, who right away dived down into the back. 

There was the sound of furious digging as he tried to find whatever he was looking for, [Y/N[ and Link staring with very blank and confused expressions. Every so often a rogue piece of armor or fabric would fly past them, both dodging and ducking past those few. For a moment, [Y/N] feared that the man had been buried, until he popped out again like a Cucco, holding two warm looking cloaks, each looking very durable too. “Amel don’t tell me you made these specifically for us? I was just going to get us one of the normal ones you-” “Oh nuh uh! No way was I going to send my girl out there in those shabby things!’ The store keep laid them out on the counter so he could show them off “I had already been planning to give them to your parents as an anniversary gift...but,” [Y/N] averted his eyes “Anyway! When your cousin came in here telling me that you were going to go off and save Hyrule, I knew that you needed to get only the best, so I did a few adjustments on these and now they are all ready to go.” 

She accepted both of the cloaks with a small sigh “Thank you Amel, I appreciate it very much.” “No problem darling! There was no way I was going to let my number one girl freeze on her journey to save Hyrule because I let you take trash with you! Mmhm, No way! Now,” He leaned over and placed a kiss on each of her cheeks ‘You go out there with that handsome hero and bring back our beloved princess.” [Y/N] nodded with a small smile as she and Link turned to leave, pausing to say “Amel?” “Yes?” “Be sure to go ask Kossoh out before I get back hmm? He seemed a little lonely this morning~” She didn’t wait to see his expression since she ducked out the door right after, greeted by Link who was holding back a small laugh “Goodness he was something wasn’t he?” “Yes, but he’s an amazing man. Always does what he can to make sure everyone is well.” Link seemed amused to hear how fond the man was of the village people, but not saying anything else for the short walk back to their horses. The pair was greeted by [Y/N]’s grandmother and cousin Nahira, Nahira holding a bag and two filled canteens. [Y/N] took the bread and canteens from her cousin, carefully securing them on her horse’s travel packs, before standing tall as her grandmother approached. “Your journey is long,” She said with a sad smile “You will come across hardships that you have never seen before, you will encounter many challenges, some that may seem impossible to accomplish. But no matter what happens, you must promise me that neither of you will lose sight of who you are. You must always be there for each other, to protect each other.” 

[Y/N] glanced over at Link, to see a expression that she wasn’t expecting on his face. His eyes...they held the sign that he took a different meaning from her words. But she didn’t know why or what he could have taken them as. He glanced back to meet her gaze on him, red and blue eyes locked with each other for a second, before both nodded. Impa had a smile on her time worn face, stepping back as Nahira stepped forward “Here. You were forgetting these. I know you have a dozen daggers on you right now, but this was your mothers.” In her hands was a elegantly made dagger and the face scarf. [Y/N] took both with a nod “Yes...the scarf will be useful...although I don’t think I need it if Ganondorf knows who I am,” “Yes but we both know despite that you still wear it. After all Sheik, you are one of the tribe.” “And the tribe must protect the secrets..” “Your own words but sure,” 

Nahira chuckled with [Y/N] for a second, before the two cousins embraced in a tight hug, Nahira whispering into her ear “Make the ancestors of the tribe proud of your Sheik, and let your warrior name bring honor to your journey as you save Hyrule.” There was a moment of silence between them, the air filled with an understanding that only the cousins held. Nahira stepped back and Jasmine stepped forward, yet the hylian girl was...off. Her violet eyes looked about nervously, yet they always landed on the chain around [Y/N]’s neck. “So..you’re off to go...go and umm...save Hyrule..” Link seemed to have not noticed the sudden change in the female, as he nodded with a grin “Yup! Don’t worry you’ll be safe here in the village!” Jasmine however, just shrugged him off, taking a step towards [Y/N] “Yeah yeah...whatever..”

Now the girl was setting of all sorts of alarms for [Y/N] as she kept staring so intently at the fragment around her neck “That must be it huh? The fragment of the triforce of wisdom...its so small…” [Y/N] nodded very slowly, not taking her eyes off the girl “I wonder...if I could just touch it...to hold it, even for a second.” Her hand shot out to grab hold of the chain to fulfill her desire, but [Y/N]’s hand shot out as well, taking a tight hold of Jasmine’s wrist “I wouldn’t do that. You brought forth Ganondorf so if you held something as powerful as this, even if it is but a shard, who knows what could happen.” Jasmine yanked her hand away with almost a hiss of sorts that lasted but a second, before the same charm she had before returned “Right, right you’re right I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” The Sheikah warrior nodded a bit but stayed alert. With all goodbyes said, Link and [Y/N] mounted their horses. She went to call her horse to a trot, however Impa stopped them once more

“It is time for me to tell you the final words that the princess told my mother. It is a riddle that not even she could understand, but it should help you on your journey.” The elder took a deep breath before she repeated the words said two hundred years ago “The golden stream will take thee to the heart of the flood. The tears of crystal will soothe the burning river and heal the hunger. The warmth of love will be the flame in the blizzard. The wings of hope will take thee home.” [Y/N] rose an eyebrow at the cryptic words that were spoken, unable to even get a glimmer at what they meant. Her Grandmother reached up, taking [Y/N]’s hand in hers “Remember those words well when you find yourself unsure how to continue on. They just may be the key to your success.” She nodded for a final time, placing a arm across her chest “I swear to it Grandmother.” “May the goddess watch over you child.” A click of her tounge and the two were off, [Y/N] taking the lead as they began their journey to save Hyrule. 


	12. Chapter 11

The moment the pair exited Kakrios borders and made it to the forest outside of the village, it became very obvious to [Y/N] that their journey may end up being a bit of awkward one. The entire time that they traveled through the forest towards Hyrule field, neither one breathed a word to each other. Not because they didn’t want to, bur rather neither knew what to say. Just complete silence during the entire portion of the woods. On more than one occasion, [Y/N] caught sight of  Link staring, almost even studying her a bit. Being honest it did freak her out a bit since..well...no one ever stared at her as intently as he was. Finally, once they actually entered the field, she turned sharply “Link, is there a specific reason, may I ask, why you keep staring at me so strongly. If you want to say something you know you can.” Realizing he was caught, Link shook his head, quickly snapping out of whatever trance he was in “Oh! Yeah sorry, sorry I was just thinking…” “Thinking about what?” “Being honest? You.”

She looked back at him with a bit of shock, eyebrow raised with an equal amount of curiosity “Oh? Really now Link, you have only known me for a day and already you have a crush on me? I’m flattered~” His face went a brighter pink than the sunrise that had started to peek over horizon, his hands waving frantically “NO No no not like that!” His tone was defensive and flustered, causing a snort of laughter from the Sheikah warrior. “I was just wondering about who you are! I mean I know that you are named [Y/N], that you are a Sheikah warrior, and that you are cursed, using your own words not mine, with the ability to control shadows! BUT THAT’S IT!” He threw his hands up in the air in defeat “I normally at least know a bit more about all of my traveling companions before I actually travel with them!” A small smirk, hidden by the scarf she wore over her face, appeared. [Y/N] pulled back on Asva’s reins to slow the horse down a bit, allowing them to now ride side by side “Oh really? Well what did you know about all of your past traveling companions?” 

His eyes lit up at the question right away, much more so than she expected. All she had wanted to do was get him talking about something else so she wouldn’t have to, but there was no way she expected to see how..how happy he was talking about his past friends. “Well I at least knew the basics! Their hobbies, favorite color, maybe a few fears if they feel like it! For example take Garnik! A Goron chief that me and the princess knew! He always put on this major tough guy act, but all he was was a really big softie. There was this one time he was showing me and Zelda around the Goron hot springs when this small bird landed on him. He didn’t expect to see it, so when he actually noticed it, boy did he freak out! Probably jumped at least ten feet into the air! I didn’t realize that Gorons could even jump that high until….wait a second.” He glared at her, which caused her to snort, therefore failing to hold back the laugh she had been keeping. “You did that on purpose didn’t you.” “Yup!”

She ducked down to avoid the swing on his arm, defending her reasoning “Hey! You seemed more than happy to talk about your friends so why deny you that!” Link very obviously rolled his eyes, especially when she added “I almost had you! You were just too darn smart for it to totally get past you.” They had a stare down that started off with a (attempted) serious face, but failed horrible when both snorted with laughter, Link realizing “Hey! Don’t Gorons live pretty long? Maybe Garnik is still alive!” [Y/N] would admit to anyone that asked, it did hurt her heart a bit hearing how hopeful he was at potentially seeing one of his long lost friends. So she felt pretty bad when she had to say “Link, Chieftain Garnik died fifty years after the princess’ death at exactly one hundred years old.” Now, she had expected him to be sad about the death of his friend, but instead.

“WHAT!? HE TOLD ME HE WAS IN HIS PRIME OF THIRTY WHEN WE HAD MET A YEAR BEFORE! That bastard lied to me! Why on earth could he not be honest with me, man to..well Goron!” As mentioned she was not at all expecting that response, but she found that it gave her the perfect opening to dive in with “Well I mean can you blame him? No one like being reminded that they’re old Mr. I am now two hundred years old!” That got a reaction out of him, the tips of his pointed ears going pink “HEY!” He successfully smacked her shoulder “I am not two hundred years old okay! Physically I am twenty! Just because I was trapped that long doesn’t mean I am!” “Hmm, I think it does, age is how long you’ve  existed, that means, let's see...you are the prime age of two hundred and twenty years! Hope that this journey doesn’t wear you down Grandpa!” 

Both of them erupted out in laughter, [Y/N] needing to pull the scarf off of her face to breath better from the laughing. Their horses at this point had slowed down to a walk, meaning that their journey had definitely slowed down while they talked. “No, seriously, I do want to know at least a bit more about you. Your favorite color, food, how many friends you have that sort of thing!” Well….they sounded like simple enough questions, harmless ones actually, so she saw no reason to NOT answer them. So she did “Well let’s see. My favorite color is [F/C], my favorite food would have to be...hmm...Nahira’s cooking. Yes,” She replied to the mouth that Link dropped at the new information “Nahira cooks despite her tough appearance and oh my goddess it is amazing. Friends..umm...at the moment I have only four, five counting my cousin.” “What!?’

The shock in Link’s voice was so obvious as he grumbled about her lack of friends “How could someone like you only have four friends?” She shot him a look that read “Seriously” In which he shrugged “Okay point taken you may not seem like the nicest person at first, but that’s in your sheikah armor! When I had first woken up in your house you seemed like one of the nicest people I knew! And you especially became a really awesome person after well...okay well in the time that we have spent NOT being at each other's throats you were and are an amazing person! Did you never play with any of the village children after moving to Kakariko?” “No.” “How come?” There it was. The one question that she didn’t want to answer. But there was no point in keeping it from him. It happened in the past, and there was nothing she could do about it.  

“Its because...me and my family moved to Kakariko when I was only four years old,” “FOUR!?” “Yeah...I told you I was pretty young starting out. But now that we aren’t in the village I feel like I can tell you the reason now.” She looked up into the now blue sky, watching a flock of birds that flew over them “We moved because of my curse. It became too dangerous for me to stay where we once lived, because without meaning to….I killed a child.” A lump formed in her throat at the recollection of the events that brought her and her family to the place she called home for twelve years of her life. “We used to live in a village just outside of Hyrule town. It was peaceful, everyone was happy. I had made a friend who was my age, we were close. But one day, the two of us were outside playing in the woods when it got dark. Neither of us realized how late it truly was and at that age in my life, if I was out after dark away from my family, I lost control of the power. Because of it..”

She shivered, closing her eyes to push back the memory “Because of it I killed him. He was dead in seconds and we were found because of my screams of fear. My parents and others of the village found us, saw me covered in blood frightened, the boy dead. Everyone claimed that it was a monster that attacked and just assumed that it didn’t see me, but my parents knew better. They decided that it was too dangerous for me to live there, not because of the people being scared of me, but that I would hurt myself. So, we packed up and moved to Kakariko. The blessing of the goddesses and fairy fountain helped suppress the powers of my curse at least until I was old enough to control it myself.” “So that’s why you only ever had four friends.” 

There was no nod in response to his statement since he pretty much figured it out himself. “That’s why I started training at four years old. That’s why I locked myself away from everyone except my Grandmother and Cousin. I was too scared to hurt anyone else until I was fifteen. That’s when my Grandmother named me an official sheikah warrior and we moved back to the small house you saw. My father had become apart of the council and I had no need to be under the villages protection. I went to the school, made friends with only four people and then a year later I was labeled a bad omen and no one dared go near me afterwards.” Link let out a growl with his hands tightening on the reins “They still should have gotten a brain and looked into it rather than call you a omen.” [Y/N] only shrugged in response, returning her attention to the path ahead. 

As they talked, the pair had gotten closer and closer to their intended destination. Before them was a forest, with trees to thick it was impossible to see anything except for anything that passed through a few rays of light. And even then...there was still nothing. The birds had stopped chirping, the wind died out. It as completely silent. [Y/N]’s red eyes stared down the forest before her, her hand pulling her face scarf up, Link asking “Where are we?” “The forest where nothing lives, where barely any light can come through, and the fastest way to Gerudo Canyon..Darkwood Forest.” 


	13. Chapter 12

“Darkwood...Forest?” “Not the most creative of names but yes. Darkwood forest.” She dug through a saddle bag at her side, pulling out one of the many daggers that she didn’t keep on her, ready to use it to assist in cutting away any rouge branches, if small enough. While she pulled the weapon out, Link quickly inquired “Darkwood Forest? Where did this place even come from? There was no darkwood forest two hundred years ago.” That’s right. Darkwood forest hadn’t really appeared until roughly one hundred years before. So it was no surprise that he would be confused about it “It is a forest that was one the main pathway to Gerudo Canyon, under the name of Damine woods. However one hundred years, the forest had suddenly shroued itself in darkness, all of the animals leaving their home. The people thought nothing of it and went on using it. Until a group of travelers went through it...and never came out. From then on it was named Darkwood Forest and no one touched. Not even Ganondorf’s minions camp in with the lack of Hylians.”   


“So it’s abandoned?” “Essentially yes.” “Then why are we in front of the strange forest?” She smirked, though it was hidden by the scarf “Because we are going through it.” “Wait wait wait what!? Didn’t you say-” [Y/N] used the tip of her blade to push past the overgrown branches “I said that the forest was empty from everything, INCLUDING Ganondorf's minions.  Meaning that this forest is completely safe from everything aside from mere superstition. The tribe makes use of this path all the time sinc. See?” She gestured over to one of the trees revealed from the clearance of the branches, which had the symbol of the Sheikah tribe carved into the tree. It seemed to relieve the worry that Link had, but his entire body was still tense. “So come now, let's go and see if we can at least get halfway through the canyon to the stables in front of the desert before the sun sets.” Without a moment to let him protest, [Y/N] clicked her tongue and brought Asva moving forward, with Epona following in suit as all horses do when their buddy in front of them start moving. 

Entering the forest, they stayed on a hidden path that allowed both of them to ride side by side. [Y/N] swore that Link was so tense that he would attack literally the first branch that touched his hand. She wanted to reassure him a bit but she had to focus until they were set on the path. Since it was carefully covered by trees and leaves to keep the initial path hidden, she had to carefully move and replace it all. However soon they made it to the path that was no longer hidden and covered, so she returned her dagger to its holding place and looked back over to Link. Lo behold, a branch that had been bent back for him to go under flung back and smacked his shoulder, so of course, Link spun back and viciously snapped it off, only to realize that it was a poor innocent branch. 

“Hey, Link its okay, you can calm down a bit.” She reached over slowly, her goal to place a hand on his. That would not be the case. While her hand reached over, a arrow flew between the both of them, actually cutting the top of her hand. Both Link and [Y/N] instantly turned back to confront the shooter, only to find no one there. “What was that?” Link asked, his eyes on high alert with his hand already half pulling the sword at the side of his saddle free “I don’t know..but something isn’t right. Let’s keep moving and pick up the pace.” She turned back to face forward, bringing her horse up to a trot alongside Epona, both now on the defensive. [Y/N] felt something off, back behind them in the distance. Link was on the lookout for anything that could be seen, but [Y/N] planned to be on the lookout for anything that could be heard. 

Taking a deep breath, she closed her scarlet eyes, focusing on breathing in and out slowly, balancing it with the steps of her horse. By doing that, focusing, she was able to soon switch that focus to her hearing, all of the other senses in her body going dull. She could not feel the Asva’s movement under her, she heard the sound of his hoofs hitting the soft ground, and in her mind she could make out that image. Through the hooves, she heard the leaves rustling behind her, and hidden in the sound of the leaves, there was something else. A much softer sound of horses, almost as if the hooves had been covered to pad the sounds they made. She estimated two, since there was the faint chatter of Bokoblin speech through it all. They must have been using the trees as cover after the first arrow shot, and she knew, Bokoblins never shoot just once. 

The Sheikah warrior focused on the Bokoblin’s now, to hear their movements. Wood of a arrow’s shaft hit it’s brothers as it was pulled from a quiver. They were going to fire another shot, but at who. She couldn’t take the chance of it being Link. It was her duty to ensure that the hero made it. “Link,” [Y/N] warned softly “When I tell you to duck, I need you to get as close to the saddle as you possibly can.” She didn’t care to hear a vocal response as she figured he would hopefully do as she requested. She listened closely again, the images of what the creatures were doing appearing in her mind “One,’ The arrow scraped against the bow as it was notched “Two,” The bow string creaked as it was pulled back, the tension bending the top and bottom of the bow “Three,” The Bokoblin took a deep breath, and.. “DUCK!”

Her eyes snapped open, all her senses returning to her in a wave. Link flung himself down into a saddle while she drew a throwing knife. She turned, flinging the knife back behind her. Arrow and knife crossed paths, the arrow missing it’s target..the knife did not. The Bokoblin let out a cry as it fell from it’s horse to die, the horse fleeing from its captivity. When one died, another monster seemed to take it’s place. The horses took off into a full gallop, racing to take their owners away from the harm . [Y/N] glanced at Link, who met her gaze and already seemed to know what she was going to ask. He and her drew their bows at the same time, each pulling an arrow free of their own quivers. Link and [Y/N] both turned back, trusting thier horses to take the lead. [Y/N] called the commands “Take a deep breath,” Link breathed in, their bows raising for the next step “Aim,” Each held their position and adjusted their aim, ensuring that neither would miss “Hold…”

The Bokoblins who were hiding within the trees were forced to reveal themselves as the trees cut off their original path. The moment they were out in the open. [Y/N] called “FIRE!” Two arrows flew through the air in unison, hitting their targets right where intended. Both beasts fell from their mounts, [Y/N] about to announce their success to Link, until she saw an arrow aimed at her, along with a Bokoblin behind him aiming to fire at Link. Without any hesitation she drew a second arrow, taking aim at the monster behind Link. Once more their arrows flew in unison, [Y/N] having an arrow that came from behind barely missing her own shoulder while a cry of death came from the beast Link fired at. “What are they doing here!” She asked alound in confustion, tucking her bow where it belongs “They shouldn’t be here nothing except the tribe goes through Darkwood!” Link only shrugged in response, his hand taking hold of Epona’s reins “I don’t know but we need to get out into the forest. With all these trees we have no idea how many are there. If we reach open land we will be able to at least stand our ground and fight back.” 

There was something that [Y/N] knew help them, a clearing that wasn’t that far ahead of them “There’s a clearing that we will hit soon. It’s a common campsite that is used when it gets to nighttime! We can stop there and fight!” “Perfect! How far are we?” “We are seconds from entering it!” Just as she said, both of the horses leapt over a fallen log and landed in the clearing she was talking about before. Only the issue was that they were not expecting what greeted them. Two Moblins as tall as the tree grabbed [Y/N] by her braided [H/C] hair, harshly pulling her off Asva. Link called out her name but received the same fate when the other pulled him off by wrapping it’s large hand around his chest. Both were thrown to the ground, [Y/N] fairly certain that she probably  bruised a rib as she let out a grunt on impact. Bokoblins swarmed her, grabbing her arms and pulling her up by her hair. She would definitely have a hell of a headache later but at the moment she was more focused on what was going on. With a quick glance she could tell that Link was the same as her, being held back and forced onto his knees.

The oddest thing was the fact that they were not killing them. Bokoblins weren’t known for mercy and neither were Moblins, yet not a single beast made a move to kill. It caused some questions to come to her mind, and [Y/N] being [Y/N] asked aloud “What are they doing. Why don’t they kills up.” Before Link could answer or even possibly come up with some odd solution, a females voice entered the clearing “I can answer that question little girl.” The voice was smooth...as smooth as silk yet tainted with the influence of evil. The area around them became cold, as if all of the life and warmth had been stolen away. [E/C] eyes scanned everywhere they could, in an attempt to locate the owner, pointed ears twitching as footsteps approached from the front. The footsteps grew closer and closer until a woman finally appeared through the darkness.

The woman had hair like fire, skin darkened from the sun and eyes as black as the shadows around them. She was a Gerudo, [Y/N] could tell that right away. The woman entered from between the two moblins, being tall around to have to duck in order to avoid the painful looking clubs. Never in her life had [Y/N] seen anyone like that before, and by that she meant in terms of who they are. The woman circled around Link and [Y/N] like a wolf hunting its prey, eyeing the two in almost a investigative sort of way. “Hmm...good the girl seems unharmed.” She said once she finally met [Y/N]’s gaze. “What do you want with us!” [Y/N] growled, struggling against the Bokoblin that held her “Careful there Sheik wouldn’t want you hurting yourself. I want you in tip top shape after I finish my other duty.” “Well that is unfair. You seem to know who I am yet I know nothing of you. Other than the fact that I am going to kick your ass after I get myself free.” A chuckle escaped the woman's lips “Oh my you are fiesty. I will enjoy hurting you so when the time comes. But I guess a formal introduction wouldn’t hurt~” 

The woman moved to stand before [Y/N] and Link, a dark twisted smile appearing upon her face “My name is Meria, and I,” She gave a low bow, red hair falling down her shoulders before rising once more, black eyes sparkling “Am the woman who had the greatest pleasure of killing Princess Zelda.”


	14. Chapter 13

“You? You’re the one who killed the princess? Why!? Did you even comprehend the chaos you brought upon Hyrule by doing so!?” [Y/N] could hardly believe what she was hearing, the woman that was right in front of her was the same woman that killed the princess. That event was over two hundred years ago and while Gerudos did live a bit longer than normal Hylians, there was no way any normal Gerudo could still be alive after so long. Meria looked proud of the shock that edged her voice at the questions, turning to walk towards one of the Bokoblins that surrounded the area. “Why did I do it?” She repeated, a shadowy beast rising from where she walked “I did it because I wanted to watch Hyrule burn. After everything that my master went through I wanted it to suffer just as he had. That, and I just wanted that satisfaction of seeing her life drain from her eyes. She wasn’t even my intended target, but my kill still had me rewarded greatly.” [Y/N] opened her mouth to demand more answers, but Link’s voice came first. It was dark, his voice nothing more than a growl with “You.” 

Meria turned at the growl, a twisted smirk appearing on her face “Ah yes! Here you are, the one I meant to kill all those years ago! I do hope you remember me after I crashed your lovely wedding all those years ago?” [Y/N] couldn’t even see Link’s face as Meria approached him, a thousand and one thoughts running through her head as she tried to think of a plan to escape. While Meria got closer and closer to Link, [Y/N] felt panic rise in her chest more and more. If she planned to kill Link two hundred years ago that probably meant she still wanted to finish that job. But if he died then Hyrule would more than likely completely crumble. After all knowing that he was alive but imprisoned was one of the few things that kept Hyrule stable in its state of chaos. She couldn’t hear the words that Link had said, only able to see Meria laugh loudly “Oh come now hero! If you have any last words then you will have to speak up! Your little friend can’t hear you!” “I…” “Yes yes, what is it?” “I’M GOING TO KILL  YOU!” 

The next few moments happened in a flash for [Y/N] after Link had made his statement. Meria stumbled back in shock while Link snapped his head back, making contact with the face of the Bokoblin that held him. The monster stumbled and gave Link the chance of escape. [Y/N] herself felt her own captor loosen its hold due to everything happening, which gave her the chance to move. She spun her body around and kicked harshly on the Bokoblins knee. The bone broke and the monster fell, giving her the opportunity to pull free and dig a dagger directly into its skull. It disintegrated into black smoke, [Y/N] rising to her feet while looking for any sign of what happened to Link. She saw him now holding the master sword, and lunging towards Meria, a battle that knew would only end badly if Link fought alone. However the moment that she was about the go to him, the two moblins stepped out and knocked her back. She coughed up blood from the impact, watching slightly dazed as the beasts blocked her path ‘Damn….’ She thought to herself ‘Guess you will be on your own for now Link...sorry..’

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A large series of thoughts ran through Links head during the time in the clearing. At first, everything was his own thoughts as he tried to think of an escape plan, or even at least a way to free [Y/N] by using himself as a distraction. However, every single thought HE had, was gone the moment he heard her voice. The same voice he knew from two hundred years ago, that same voice that cheered as he held his dying princess. That was the voice of the one person that Link wanted to kill more than ever. His thoughts turned dark, overcome by a wave of emotions that he couldn’t even name. Each one was so strange, so different, yet they all lead to one common need. To kill. He wanted nothing more than to feel her die at the end of his blade, to watch the life drain from her eyes. He didn’t even hear as she gloated about her achievement in killing the princess. 

There was a not a single sliver of his true self in the mix of all the dark thoughts, each one more overpowering than the last. It stayed dormant for a time, waiting to take control of his body for the perfect time. That perfect time being when she got close enough, taunting him to speak louder. That was close enough for him, and at his cry of promise, his body turned to full autopilot mode. The Bokoblin, being  the idiot it was, had leaned in to also hear what he had whispered, giving Link the perfect opportunity to snap his head upwards, making contact with the creatures large nose. His surprise attack caught everyone off guard, which allowed him to free himself from his bonds and make his way to Epona. There he ripped the Master Sword free from its scabbard, Link felt the power seeming to hold back, as if scared to assist the hero in his mission of revenge. But that did not matter to him. What did matter was seeing the woman that was before him dying at his hands. He paid no mind to [Y/N] or any of the creatures around them, only focusing on Meria.

The two of them entered a stalemate of sorts, neither one daring to make the first move while they circled their arena, swords at the ready. Normally Link would never make the first move in a one on one combat with a person, but Link’s mind was not himself, so he charged. Swinging the master sword through the air he aimed for her head, only to have the attack blocked by her own sword and a kick to his stomach. He stumbled backwards with a cough, only to repeat the attack,  this time aiming for her heart. Meria dodged it like a snake, her own sword slicing through Link’s side, bringing forth a flash of pain in his darkened mind. The pain vanished and was replaced by more rage, giving him only a moment to see a opening for an attack. When she had ducked she left herself vulnerable to have her hair grabbed, which he did without a moment to spare. With a tight grip on her scarlet hair, he yanked her head back so that there was a clear opening when he smashed the hilt of the master sword into her face. Blood gushed from her nose as he felt bone crack, a smirk of satisfaction twisting on his expression. He then brought his knee to her face in one powerful motion, before he kicked her stomach to force her to her knees, “How does it feel,” He growled, staring into her dark eyes with his own “To be forced to your knees so close to death.” 

He let her not have a single second to catch her breath as he brought his sword up into the air, prepared to swing down and end her life, prepared to fulfill the revenge that his darkness craved. However before his blade could swing down into the air, the growl of a creature that he had forgotten about filled the air while powerful claws sank into his shoulders from behind. The claws pulled him back and away from Meria, forcing him to lose his grip before he was thrown against a tree. The pet Meria had lurked between him and her now, black inky tentacles falling over its face, almost looking like it held the face of the creatures one of his ancestors fought in the twilight realm generations ago, yet holding the body of large cat. Either way, it had stopped him from killing Meria, which caused him a greater frustration than anything he ever felt before. Link lunged forward with his sword in hand, only to have to sword thrown to the side when claws raked at his hands and his body thrown against a tree once more. This time however he was stuck. He couldn’t move if he wanted to due to something reaching out behind him and holding his arms down at his side. The beast let out a growl once more while Meria rose to her feet, spitting blood from her mouth “You...are going to pay for that..” Her eyes flickered with anger “Kill.” The beast lowered into a crouched position, aiming its kill before it leapt into the air. Link closed his eyes and expected death, until a girls voice screamed “LINK!”

His eyes snapped open to see a dagger fly into the beast's side, sending it flying off to the side. It did not hurt it but it did stun the monster, allowing Link to turn and look at where the dagger came from. The moment he did, all of the darkness that had flooded his mind was gone, allowing clear thoughts to come forth once more. Standing over two corpses of Moblin bodies was [Y/N], blood running down her arm and her body still in the throwing position, she looked at him with intense worry in her eyes. [Y/N]..?” He whispered for a second, before he felt pain greater  than anything before erupt in his shoulder. Slowly he looked over to see something black sticking through him and into the tree behind him, a blanket of exhaustion falling over him all at once only moments after. The last thing he saw before giving into unconsciousness was [Y/N] running towards him, dully calling out his name.

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[Y/N] never really was one to panic in high stress situations, but it did happen, especially when she saw the hero of destiny held to a tree, with a very dangerous looking monster prepared to kill him. She acted on reflex, hurling the dagger that was in her hand at the monster. The dagger simply passed through and ended up in a tree, but it at least managed to knock the beast off course into a tree. She had a moment of peace since he was saved, but then the next moments happened in slow motion. His mouth moved as she took a step to go to his side, before she saw Meria pull a spike of darkness from her hand, throwing it at Link. It stuck through his shoulders, pinning him to the tree he was already trapped against. [Y/N]’s eyes widened in horror, taking off at a spring to get to his side, her hand waving through the air to force the shadows that held him back away. Once at his side she placed her fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. It was weak...but there, meaning he was alive but if she didn’t get him out of there soon she wasn’t sure for how long. 

Behind her, [Y/N] heard Meria cough for a moment, and all at once she felt a small flicker of flame spark up inside of her. There was no way this woman was going to get out of this unharmed, [Y/N] was going to make sure of that. So she reached up, her hand wrapping around the spike in his shoulder “Now now, it looks like it’s just me and you now Sheik. This is going to be very, very easy.” [Y/N] smikred “I wouldn’t count on it.” She pulled the spike free, using the scarf that covered her face to temporarily cover the wound. With her new weapon in hand, she turned to face Meria, greeted by a expression of amusement “Oh what are you going to do with that? That is my power that no one can-” She stopped rattling off when [Y/N] held it out and it gloated above her own hand, melting and molding into a sphere “Are you so sure of that?” Meria’s look of shock sent so much satisfaction through [Y/N] as she stood there, jaw open “How! How are you able to do that!” She shrugged, her fingers moving while she molded the shadows into something else “I don’t feel like being cooperative right now. You just tried to kill the Hero of Destiny, and you also made one very fatal mistake,” The shadows formed into a dagger that she now held in her hand, red eyes blazing with fury “You assumed that I would be easy.” 


	15. Chapter 14

Meria’s own eyes were blazing with anger as the two woman stood face to face, her dark eyes locked onto the blade that [Y/N] had created herself “No one. Not even my master, could control my shadows. You should not be able to do that!” [Y/N] shrugged as she tossed the dagger in her hand, feeling it’s weight “Well wouldn’t you like to now? But as I mentioned, I don’t really feel like answering you, but you will answer mine.” “And what if I don’t.” [Y/N] knew that she would have to get that information one way or another, and she showed on what she planned to do very clearly if Meria didn’t answer. She hurled the shadow dagger at the woman, Meria quickly ducked to the side, not expecting the dagger to come flying back back. The watching the dagger  sliced her cheek, sending the message across clearly as blood ran down the tan skin. The Gerudo woman glared at her, while the Sheikah Warrior stood still in her spot.

While the two of them stood off, [Y/N]’s mind was racing. She had about a dozen questions flooding her brain but she had the time for maybe two until she could at least contain Meria. So, she asked her first question carefully “Who do you work for.” “My Master.” “Well that’s helpful,” [Y/N] rolled her eyes, her voice going low “I don’t think you’re in the position to sass me. Now answer it.” This time, there was something in Meria’s eyes that didn’t quiet sit well with [Y/N] while she rose to her feet “I’ll tell you, after I’ve beaten your scrawny body to the edge of death. I just can’t kill you, but doesn’t mean I can’t have a bit of fun.” Before she could figure out what she meant, [Y/N] heard the sound of growling behind her, and she right away dropped down in a duck just in time to see the same beast from before flying over her.

She noticed that the beast didn't seem to have a wound where her dagger had made contact earlier, which told her many things. The beast couldn’t be killed with normal hylian made weapons, and two, that if that didn’t work, then that meant the things it was made of must do the opposite. The dagger of darkness was held tightly in her hand while she remained crouched down close to the ground, walking slowly in unison to the beast stalking her movement. The legs of the beast bent down slightly, a signal that it was about to lunge once more, giving [Y/N] all the time she needed to leap to the side as it leapt forward, allowing her to plunge the dagger deep into the beast's side. With a cry of pain it fell to the ground, the darkness that she had shoved into it melting into the beast, only the wound wasn’t closing, which is exactly what she hoped for. “How dare you!” She heard Meria shriek, [Y/N] turning to see the woman fuming with anger, and of course she just had to reply “How dare I? It tried to kill me so I dare to do whatever I damn want to it in self defense.”

A dagger came to Meria’s hand while [Y/N] pulled her own free from her boot, Meria growling “I don’t care if my master wants you alive, I am going to bring you so close to your death that you’ll get to have a nie chat with the princess before dragging you from the peace you thought you would get.” “Heh...bring it on.” That was all she needed to say before [Y/N] engaged in the dangerous battle as Meria leapt in with a cry of rage. Right away the attacks where intense, [Y/N] barely having time to even block the onslaught that was being thrown at her, but there was a method to her very dangerous plan. When a person becomes angry, they make rash decisions, they don’t plan out their movements, which gives her the openings she needs to give her own attacks. Each one earned their own set of wounds, but [Y/N]s being more scratches from how often she barely missed the attacks. With every dodge she taunted Meria, seeing the rage grow more and more in the woman. Only, the more she delayed the battle by dodging, it gave Meria her own time to get into her mind.

“You seem so good at running. I wonder why you’re parents weren’t as good as you.” [Y/N] flinched, pain shooting up her arm from the mistake. “After all, if they’re daughter was Sheikah warrior why weren’t they? But I shouldn’t be complaining, the proved to be quite the show~” Her words stung at [Y/N]’s heart, the girl reminding herself to not listen, to ignore her, but… “Hearing their screams created such wonderful music for my ears,” [Y/N] stumbled back as Meria slammed a foot into her stomach “I killed the woman first. She screamed, begged, pleased as my pet tore away at her flesh. I made sure she suffered, after all, she’s the reason you live.” She rolled to the side as a dagger slammed into the ground. “Then I went for the man. He was a mess, tried to bribe my by saying he would give you away. He was a coward, he was so easily willing to turn after seeing how I killed his wife. But no. No I made sure he died just was painfully, but I was nice, I killed him faster~”

Blood rushed through [Y/N]’s ears as she tried to fight back the rage that was filling her heart and mind. No, no not rage, revenge. She wanted revenge on the person who had killed her parents and she thought that she would have to wait for Ganondorf to flesh it out, but no. She was standing right before her, just waiting and taunting her. While [Y/N] laid on the ground, stunned from the kick to her stomach, Meria stood over her, a wicked grin plastered over her bloody face “They were so weak. And it’s no surprise because you are just. As. weak. Now it’s time for-” “SHUT UP!” The anger became too much, her scream echoing about the area as shadows shot from their surroundings. Thousands of strands of darkness surrounded Meria, violently lashing out at her, and while Meria fought, the anger [Y/N] felt was too strong. With the snap of her fingers, the shadows tightened around her, creating a prison that kept her pinned, unable to use her dagger against [Y/N].

[Y/N] slowly rose to her feet, her body shaking with rage. Her hand gripped her weapon tightly, her red eyes flaring with fire. All she needed was one look from Meria, before she lunged forward, the tip of her blade aimed for her throat. But, just before it could pierce flesh, she stopped, her chest rising and falling from her deep breaths. The words her grandmother had once told her echoed in her mind, “To take another's life with the desire of revenge, does nothing to ease the flame, it will only fuel it with the desire of more.” She wouldn’t kill her, not know, not when she needed her questions answered. All at once, the anger and revenge melted away as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself, before [Y/N] calmly said “Now. You are going to tell me who sent you and for what purpose you were sent. If you don’t..” The darkness tightened around her, causing Meria to grunt in pain. “You might find yourself with a lot of broken bones.” “Fine,’ Meria spat “I guess it’s okay for prey to know that it is being hunted. My master is someone you probably already guessed. Master Ganondorf, the true king of Hyrule-” A fist slammed into her cheek, [Y/N]’s eyes narrow while Meria spat away the blood. “My master wants you. And the Hero alive. That’s why I was sent.” “What? Why would he want me and Link. Dead I understand but alive?”

This time it was Meria’s turn to be smiling once more “Oh come now little Sheikah, you really think he wouldn’t be interested in you after you showed him how special you were at that little ceremony of yours? Afterall, you have a certain set of skills that he wants. With you alive it allows him to test you, see if you’re valuable. As for the hero..” Her eyes wandered over to the unmoving Link “I think you already know that one. You saw what he did, you saw the power he has.” [Y/N] swallowed sharply “You mean the lost fragment of Ganondorf's power.” “Ding Ding ding she is correct folks! Yes, your little hero friend has my masters missing power. His ancestor thought by hiding it within his own soul, it would keep it away from him and keep my master from reaching his full strength. Only he never took into account that enough anger would unlock it, and on that day when I took his precious princess away he felt just enough anger that let us locate it.”

[Y/N] opened her mouth to speak again, but Meria cut her off “Mmm sorry little Sheik but I’ve had enough games. I think it’s time that we finish this.” Without warning, and without any resistance, the binds that held her crumbled and fell to the ground and Meria, having caught her off guard, slammed elbow into [Y/N]s chest and sent her flying into a tree. [Y/N] was stunned, unable to properly regain her balance as she attempted to regain her breathing, but unable to as Meria got closer and closer. A hand reached out to grab hold of [Y/N]’s clothing, and being honest she was prepared for it to be her end. However, before the hand could take hold of her, a bright blade swung down between her, and Meria. While Meria jumped back, [Y/N] looked up to see Link standing now between the two woman, the master sword in his hand. “If you think you’re going to be able to lay a single hand on her, you are poorly mistaken. I may be wounded, but you don’t want to deal with this.”

The master sword glimmered in his hand almost as if to prove his point. Everyone knew that when the Hero of Legend tapped into the master sword’s power, he was a danger to all beings of darkness. And is was very obvious that no even Meria would dare try to fight him now. “Fine,” She growled, [Y/N] weakly rising to her feet “You may escape me this time but I will be back. And next time I won’t play around. But it's a good thing that I have another toy to entertain myself with.” “[Y/N]!!!” A girls voice filled the air, a voice that caused the sheikah warrior’s heart to sink into her stomach. Looking in the direction of the voice, she could see through the tree’s just as it passed, a Bokoblin riding a horse with a woman tied up in front of it. That woman being Jasmine. Even if it was only a second, [Y/N] could see the fear that was in her eyes, before she was gone. [Y/N] turned back to Meria with a growl, only to see her walking backwards into the dark forest around them “If you care about her life I suggest you hurry. I don’t know how long I want to keep her alive, so run little Sheik, otherwise more blood will be on your hands~” With those final words she disappeared, leaving Link and [Y/N] alone in the now empty clearing.


	16. Chapter 15

The moment after Meria had left, Link seemed to have lost all of the strength he had left to stand, for he collapsed to his knees with a gasp. [Y/N] was right away at his side, calling out his name and praying that he was okay, but after a few moments to accessing his wounds, she was glad to say he surprisingly wasn’t going to die. She helped him lay down on the ground to regain some strength while she made sure that the horses were okay, and raid items that were dropped by the creatures she killed. All while this happened, her mind was racing in a state of close panic. She had just learned that the Hero of Hyrule, the person that was destined to save Hyrule over his lifetimes from the dark King Ganondorf, was in possession of the lost fragment of power of his own enemy. In other words Link was a walking time bomb that would be set to go off if he ever got angry enough. Secondly, apparently Ganondorf was hunting her so he could torture and learn about the power she had, which should have been unsettling but honestly it was the least of her problems at that moment. The main problem that she was focused on was that Jasmine had been captured, and that Link had some really serious wounds. 

Once she had gotten everything she could from the abandoned gear, she looked back at Link. He was breathing, but he hadn’t even moved from where he laid, and she knew that there was no way in hell she was going to let him ride a horse alone. So, she carefully led Epona and Asva over to close to Link, before she stood before the copper horse “Hey girl,” She whispered, a hand resting softly against her muzzle “I need your help in making sure your master gets to a place safely, and that means I’ll have to ride you myself to make sure he won’t fall off.” Epona let out a gentle snort in understanding, before she slowly laid down. [Y/N] wasn’t expecting the horse to lower herself for her, but was thankful that she did because it made getting Link on easier. 

Link was well awake when [Y/N] carefully hoisted him up some, earning her a soft “I can walk you know, I just need a minute.” “Uhh, how about no. Those wounds are not something to ignore and I don’t need you falling off your horse and getting even more hurt. So no complaining.” She carefully brought his arm around her shoulder, using a bit of a tree to help her stand up with his weight there, before she made it over to Epona. Link thankfully seemed to be able to lift his leg as she set him down in the saddle, before Epona rose to her full height. [Y/N] scanned the clearing once more before she mounted in front of him, feeling Link wrap his arms around her waist to keep himself secured to the saddle. Once she leaned over and took Asva’s reins in her hand, before she clicked her tongue and Epona took off at a trot through the forest. “Don’t worry Link,” [Y/N] said quietly “I’ll find us someplace to make a camp and tend those wounds.” “At least make it to the canyon...I won’t die.” She wanted to bite the inside of her cheek some, but she said nothing. 

Since [Y/N] didn’t want to make Link chance getting hurt even more, she kept Epona at a trot, avoiding all of the things that needed to be jumped over, and while she did, her mind wandered back to the information that she had learned before. If Meria had managed to grab Jasmine from the protection of Kakariko...did that mean Ganondorf had attacked the village, and if he DID attack was her grandmother okay? Was her cousin okay? Was everyone there okay. Sadly she couldn’t just turn back, because if she turned back then it would waste time in getting the fragment of the triforce of wisdom that they were after. “[Y/N],” And if they just turned back, if the village was okay then she would be torn in leaving because that would mean they somehow passed through the goddess’ protection and “[Y/N]!” Link’s voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts, [Y/N] quickly glancing back “Yeah? Yeah what did you need is everything okay?” “I’m fine...but you zoned out and you got all tense...if everything okay?” 

For a moment, she wanted to lie, to tell him that she was okay, but she also knew that she couldn’t just let what she knew rest on her soul, otherwise she might go crazy over thinking about it. “I...no...no I’m not okay. I’m worried about Kakariko. I don’t know how much you heard before you...you saved me, but you saw Jasmine, and if she managed to kidnap Jasmine then did the village get destroyed, did everyone die, or was it something went wrong with the blessing that protects the village or-” “[Y/N]. Just breathe a moment okay? If the village was attacked them there is no doubt that woman would have bragged about it. And she even more would have still bragged if they managed to enter the village. Over all, I’m pretty sure everyone is fine.” He was right, there was many different things that could have happened that she just had to have a moment to think about it all. “You’re right...you’re right...I guess I just got really worried.” 

“Well don’t be, just try and breathe a bit.” Once more, Link was right. There no doubt would have been some sort of sign even from where they were that would have shown off to them the destruction of the village, so to distract herself from that worry, [Y/N] decided it would be better to talk to Link “You know, for a person who went through hell and lost a lot of blood you talk a lot.” She heard a soft chuckle come from him before he replied “Told you all I needed to do was rest a bit, otherwise it takes more than a little bit of blood lose to kill me.” [Y/N] rolled her eyes for a moment, before she went back to her thoughts. She was worried, not only for her people but for Link. If what Meria had said was true, then [Y/N] had no idea what, or when Link may lose himself to that dark power, and if he did, then what was she going to do? She couldn’t kill him, it was against the teachings, but if he became a danger to Hyrule then she might have no choice. She didn’t want to have to resort to that, she didn’t want to be the person who had to kill Hyrule’s only hope. 

The feeling of arms tightening around her snapped her from her thoughts as she felt Link grimace from pain. “Don’t worry Link, we’ll stop soon. We just need to get out of here and then I’ll get a health potion going and you’ll feel as good as new.” “Don’t….don’t forget about your own..” ‘Darn,’ She thought to herself, it appeared that Link seemed to notice the wounds she had taken, though it wasn’t surprising since his hand was resting over a wound she had received in her little distraction with the moblins. It seemed that with everything going on she didn’t even notice the pain anymore. “I won’t...but you are worse off.” “That might be true...but you are going to take care of yourself to.” For some reason, it did make her feel a little better hearing how worried he was that she wouldn’t tend to her own wounds, but she couldn’t let herself get caught up on it. She was on a mission and she had no time to worry about such things. “What else did she tell you.” That question really caught her off guard, since she had really forgotten that she mentioned that she learned more than what they saw.

There was no way that she was going to tell him that hey he had the missing part of Ganondorf's power, but she was willing to tell him the other interesting bit of information that she learned “Apparently...Ganondorf is hunting us...or well me. He wasn’t you dead that not a surprise. But he is apparently hunting me so that he can figure out my curse, see what power it holds. Which if you think about it isn’t tall that surprising.” His entire body tensed up behind her at the news, something that would have confused [Y/N] had she not shrugged it off as him simply experiencing a bit of pain. Instead she simply kept talking “If he really is coming after me that makes this journey all the more dangerous. Who knows what he might do to try and stop us now, and if he gets the fragment that we have then Hyrule is doomed...I don’t want that to happen.” “And It won’t.” 

Hearing Link’s words soothed the worry in her mind just enough for her to push it all aside “You’re right. If I worry about it it will only slow us down. I need to focus on our mission. And right now that is getting you to safety to tend those wounds.” Silence fell over her with those final words, as she did exactly as she said she would, focus on getting Link to safety. 

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What [Y/N] did now know was the real reason why Link had gone silent, why his entire body tensed up at the news she gave. He was scared. Scared that if Ganondorf knew of her magic that he knew of what he could do to her. And if he knew what he could do then that meant she would more than likely die, or be tortured through the control of killing innocent people. Thousands upon thousands of thoughts swarmed his mind as he tried to think of something else, but each one went right back to the words that he read at the village. His heart sank in his chest every time his mind recalled that memory, and every time it sank, the more his chest felt empty. Questions swarmed with every thought, what could happen to her. What if Ganondorf didn't know he could corrupt her and merely wanted to kill her for her power? If that were the case than what was he going to go to go get to her/?

Dozens of outcomes appeared in his mind, him failing to protect her, causing her to get taken. The poor girl being tortured to the brink of death, corrupted, killed, forced to kill the ones she loved? Panic began to set into his mind as he thought of all of this, but his left hand tightened its grip as he breathed in and out. The power of the Triforce of Courage eased in his mind, something he noticed that it did when he needed that comfort. If he began to think like that now, the that meant he was accepting that it was going to happen. It meant that he was acknowledging he would be breaking the promise that he made to her grandmother. He never failed a promise unless the will of the goddess’ made something happen that was out of his control, and if that happened than he still worked as hard as he could to fix it. That was simply who he was, someone who helped  all he could and protected the people of Hyrule with his life. 

“[Y/N]” Link spoke up when he calmed his mind, feeling the girl before him shift some so she could answer “Yes? Are you alright?” He simple nodded “I promise I won’t let Ganondorf lay a hand on you. If he wants your power then he’ll have to get through me first.” He couldn’t see her face, so he wasn’t sure how she took the words, but all he had was a gentle laugh “Thank you Link. I also promise to make sure someone is there to watch your back while you watch mine.” With the words exchanged between the two of them, Link shifted to see where they were in the forest, and noticed that the forest had begun to break up. Not long after that, they made it to the entrance of Gerudo canyon. 


	17. Chapter 16

Half the day had been stolen from the two due to the interruption that had caused them both a major set back. Normally, [Y/N] would have gone charging through the canyon to try and make it to the stables before the desert by night fall. But at the state that Link was in, and with her own wounds that she had, it was very obvious that that was going to happen. So instead she focused on locating a cave. She guided Epona into the canyon, her eyes scanning the walls. She soon enough found the perfect spot to make camp, with a small pool of water that she could use to craft a potion and give the horses water. Getting the horses to go inside was a bit of a struggle, one that she banned Link from helping with as she ordered him to sit and wait. It took just a little bit of bribing with some food that she had for them to get into the cave. Once all of them were in, she went to work on getting a fire prepared. 

Link was a little frustrated that she wasn’t letting him help her set up the fire and the camp, but he was badly wounded, and [Y/N] was honestly surprised he wasn’t out cold. To satisfy his apparent desire to help, she allowed him to make sure the horses got water. While she pulled some brush up to make the fire with, Link commented “I could help you set up the fire you know. It isn’t that hard to do.” “Nope. You are doing as little as possible. Now sit down.” She hit a piece of flint with her dagger, sending some sparks into the build up of wood and tinder, fire lighting up soon. With a nice fire blazing before them and a pot with water to boil, [Y/N] moved to her saddle bag to pull out some herbs. “Take off your tunic armor and such. I need to clean off the blood and get a bit of herbs into the wounds. The health potion may heal it mostly but it doesn’t help against infections. So we need to make sure that you don’t get any.” She moved to begin to grind up the herbs for the mixture, but as she did, she felt pain shoot through her arm and to her shoulder that had gotten hit. 

She tried to not let the pain that she felt be visible on her face, but it seemed that nothing got past Link just as things rarely got past her. “You should really take care of that first.” Link spoke up after he removed his top, leaving his bare chest visible for her to clean the wounds. “I’ll do it after I get you healed. My wounds are from a moblin getting a lucky hit that’s all.” “As someone who has been on the receiving end of those  ‘lucky hits’ I say that you need to tend to those first.” [Y/N] glared at him, in which he also returned the gaze “My wounds are just fine. They can be taken care of with a simple health potion. Which is about to be brewed once I put water on.” “Then take care of that first! Honestly [Y/N], you are obviously bleeding and-” “Link shut up!” He flinched as her voice snapped at him, [Y/N]’s red eyes flaring in her frustration “You Link, are the Hero of Destiny. You are the most important person on this mission because you are the only one able to take on Ganondorf. If you die from an infected wound because of you insisting that I take care of myself first, then your death is on me.

“I’m not going to let you die and have Hyrule fall into Ganondorf’s hands because you are being stubborn! I am the expendable one here! If I fall then someone else can easily take my place. So Shut up, and let me tend to your wounds.” That seemed to get Link to stop arguing as she took a rag and dipped it into the water of the small spring. With a newly wet rag she moved back to him and began to carefully clean the wound on his shoulder, where he had been impaled and clawed by the beast. As she cleaned the blood away from his wounds, his hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. “Don’t ever say that again.” A bit startled by the action, she asked “What?” His grip tightened on her wrist as he now looked at her, his blue eyes hardened by some kind of unspoken determination “Don’t ever say that you are expendable. There is only one of you in this world. Everyone that travels with me learns very quickly that I care about their safety as much as they do mine, and I will not let you put all of your concerns on me without taking care of yourself.”

[Y/N] did not meet his gaze while he spoke, only roughly pulling her wrist free from his own grasp. The silence grew tense around them as she got to work on cleaning off the dried blood and cleaning out the wounds. In that period of silence, [Y/N] decided to allow Link to at least assist her in cleaning her shoulder if it would make him feel better, which seemed to do that. While she rinsed out the cloth, Link asked “So...did that woman say anything else to you?” She didn’t react right away to the question, her body tensing up for a second “No..” She finally responded after a break, “She didn’t say anything else after. I think the fact that you broke her nose shocked her enough to answer really only one question of mine.” “I did what?” Link turned his head to look at her, which was stopped by her smacking the back of his head. Mostly so he wouldn’t see her shocked expression.

Link finished his statement after he returned his head to being still “I don’t really remember much of that fight..if I’m being honest. All I can remember was seeing that woman reveal herself, then the next thing I knew I was waking up covered in blood, watching her reach out to grab you with you on the ground. I didn’t question it at the time because you were in trouble but now..now I’m confused.” [Y/N] was surprised to hear this, but when she thought about it, it made sense. If the Hero’s ancestor really did seal away that power, there is no doubt that he made it so that should his reincarnations discover it that they have no clue of it. It was a fail safe plan...at least until that power consumes the hero who accidentally unlocks it. She didn’t realize that she had gotten lost in thought until after Link spoke her name, quickly snapping the Sheikah warrior free “Oh! Um...perhaps it is because you hit your head...you had ran into battle with the lady before her pet hit you into a tree and she impaled you there...with the combination of that and probably blood loss it is not wonder that you don’t remember it.”  
He seemed more interested in hearing what she had to say, but did not question it when she did not add anymore to the answer, so the silence filled the air once more. The water she had put over the fire seemed to have started to boil, much to [Y/N]’s delight. Once all of Link’s wounds were properly cleaned, she moved to grab hold of the herbs that she needed, taking them and grinding them into a bit of a pulp so it mixed better with the water. The herbs were wrapped in a small cloth and tied off before they went into the water, a red color already forming in the water. The potion still needed some time to steep and blend, so [Y/N] went to work on creating a salve. “Hey..[Y/N]?” She glanced up to look at Link “Yeah?” “Can you fill me in on what happened in the past two hundred years?” 

Honestly, she was waiting for that question to come at some point on their trip, so she wasn’t that surprised when he finally did. There was two hundred years of history to that he missed, so he probably was mostly wondering about the important bits. She carefully applied the herbs onto his wound as she answered “Sure, just give me a moment.” The moment was so she could gather all of the words in her mind, making sure that nothing important would be missed “After the princess’ death, and your imprisonment, Hyrule fell into chaos. With no princess to lead them and no hero to act as a guiding light, people were in panic and fearful that Ganondorf would return and destroy the kingdom. The princess’ four sages tried to keep the peace was best as they could with my great grandmother, but the sages were denied, outcasted, and were pushed away by the people. Impa was the only one that was left, for the others returned to their homes to keep their people in peace.

“The chaos lasted roughly four years, and on the eve of the princess’ death after those four years a group of wise men stepped forward. With them was the Triforce of Wisdom, the one peice of the princess that everyone feared that had fallen into Ganondorf’s hands. The wise men claimed that the princess had came to them in a dream and told them that they were to form a council in her place until her spirit could be reborn, and since they held her part of the Triforce, everyone believed them. It felt so real to all who approached it that no one ever doubted them, but as we learned, that was a fake.” Link scoffed at that reminder “They were using a fake to control people. That’s what it was.” [Y/N] merely shrugged at the comment “Perhaps, but I can understand why they did what they did. Hyrule was nearly lost and needed that small hope to rebuild the chaotic kingdom. Without what they did, I doubt that Hyrule would be standing today.”

She had managed to finish applying the salve to his wounds during her talk, which freed her hands up for tending the potion. However Link seemed to have other plans because as she sat down to tend it, he grabbed the rag that she had used to clean his wounds “Ah ah ah, you promised to let me look at those. So come on then. I need to see that shoulder and maybe your side.” The Sheikah warrior rolled her eyes at this, removing her armor and adjusting her clothing so that Link could access her wounds without her being totally exposed. He let out a hiss at the sight of it, which told  her that it probably was a ugly bruise with broken skin. “So...what happened to the princess’ sages? What did they do?” That bit of information she was not as sure about, but thankfully her few friends were more than willing to tell her about it to ease her own curiosity. 

“Well...the Goron Chief Gurnik, as you know died...but he didn’t go out without a bang. After he had returned to his village, he ordered a memorial be made for you and the princess. It is nothing as big as the ones honoring their previous chiefs, but it is still a sight to see. It’s right in the center of the village, where all are able to see. When Elden Volcano acts up or glows in the night, the statue is illuminated, so that no matter what time of day it is, everyone can see and remember the great things you and the princess did. According to some of the elders...as he was dying, the chief said that he could see the warm smile of the princess waiting for him.” She couldn’t see it, but she knew that Link was smiling at the information “At least he got to be with her again...he must have been pretty confused when I wasn’t there..” [Y/N] let out a soft laugh, but continued on with filling him in on everything. “Let’s see...the Zora sage…”

Her eyes widened some as she realized something. Zora’s lived a considerably longer time than Hylians do, which meant one thing. She turned suddenly to Link, ignoring the fact that she nearly hit him with her arm or that her shoulder protested in the movement “Lord Laruto is alive!!” Link’s expression of shock was replaced with pure joy seconds after “Really!? I thought he would be dead too, he was the oldest out of us all!” “No he is alive! He became the leader of Zora domain one hundred years ago!” The look of happiness and pride on Link’s face made [Y/N]’s heart swell, the girl herself happy that he had the hope of seeing at least one of his friends again. Before she could keep talking, Link pushed her back into the sitting position she was in before so he could keep working on her shoulder. 

“Zora domain has been flourishing since he took the throne! Every year on the day of the princess’ death, they hold a ceremony to honor her and you. All of the Zoras in the domain gather in one spot holding luminous stones, giving offerings of the princess’ and yours favorite flowers! They do it so that she knows that she is not forgotten. They do the same for you, since they did not know that you were alive.” [Y/N] recalled the ceremony well. Since she had been banned the year after her ceremony, she went with her friend Arina and was able to witness it then. Even as she sat there she could still hear the songs that they sang in her back of her mind. “They spend the entire day preparing and the entire night singing songs. It was the most beautiful thing I had even seen..the stones glowing in the night and the voices of all the Zora’s..” She almost found herself becoming lost in the memory when a wave of pain pulled her back. A hiss escaped her lips, which was followed by Link’s apologizing before she continued onto the next sage. 

“Umm...the Gerudo chief was the last one who was pushed out, as she was determined to try and help Hyrule. However when she finally did she did not stop helping the people. When the council was formed she stepped in right away as the Gerudo representative, and she also created the tradition that they celebrate every year. Rather than mourn the princess’ and yours death, the chose to celebrate your lives, and every year they host this big celebration with games and contests. It is a grand celebration according to some of the gerudo women that visited my father.” [Y/N] paused for a moment, so that she could catch her breath. She also wanted to find the correct way to say her final words of the historical woman “She died with honor in a battle with the Yiga Clan. That clan was attempting to infiltrate the Gerudo city to steal weapons and a priceless heirloom, but she was there fighting, and at the cost of her own life the Yiga clan lost. She now lives on in the afterlife with the princess, watching her people with pride.” 

She couldn’t see it, but Link was happy, happy to hear that his friends had done well with their lives. He had finished cleaning her wound before she could speak of the Rito sage, and [Y/N] was prepared to return her clothing to covering it, but Link stopped her “Nope, I don’t care what you say that lucky hit on your shoulder, and you side needs more than just a simple cleaning.” The girl only rolled her eyes as she was handed the salve to put on her side while Link handled her shoulder. “What of Rasha, the Rito?” [Y/N] let out a small laugh while she waved a free hand to tell him to be patient as she was about to tell him about that “Rasha went back to her people and simply lived out her life. She was in no line to become the chief, so she went on as the villages healer, telling all of her patients about the wonders that you and the princess did. She got a husband, had children of her own, and died of old age. One of her grandchild I believe is currently the elder, as one of her children married the chief's child. I am sure they will be willing to tell you all about her when we reach Rito village.

“The Rito followed the Gerudo in celebrating the day of the princess’ death, having racing in the air and archery contests. It's also a large feast that they throw, where everyone in the village gathers at night to enjoy various meals created by everyone there. They even use fireworks that they traded for. Overall, it is just a nice way to take such a sad day and make it happy. All of them did.” Link let out a small, yet happy sigh “I am glad that the ones who passed lived happy lives...and I wish I could have been there to be with them. But...I do have one more question.” He pulled away from applying the ointment on her wound, [Y/N] finished herself, to sit before her across the fire. He seemed to avoid her gaze some, and just as she was about to ask what it was, Link suddenly asked “What happened to the Sheikah Tribe..” Hearing those words, [Y/N]’s heart dropped in her chest. 


	18. Chapter 17

“You told me that they were wiped out, but I want to know how, and by what.” She looked away, her hands curled into fists as her eyes focused on the fire before her. “[Y/N] please, depending on what it happened, I knew many of them...they were like a second family to me and the princess.” He had many reasons on why he would want to know, but she didn’t even know if she had the strength to tell him. On Top of the nightmares that she had, she often viewed events of the past that she learned about. Whether it was just her mind being cruel, or the curse allowing her that ability she didn’t know. But each one played out the same horrible way it happened, the history of the slaughter being the worst of all. At even the simple mention of it, she felt her mind go blank, red eyes locked onto the blazing flame as if she could see it happening in it’s burning embers. Her heart beat louder and louder until it became the sounds of screams and cries of terror. A hand was placed on her shoulder. 

In panic, her first response to the touch was to flee. She shoved the hand away with a harsh push, but the force of her lose her balance and fall backwards onto her hurt shoulder She didn’t even feel the pain as she found herself lost in the images that flooded her mind. The images that she saw in her dreams filled her vision, her chest feeling so tight that it was hard to breathe. Her entire body shook as if the cave was freezing, and yet she could feel the heat of the fire cause sweat on her forehead. [Y/N] didn’t know how long she was like that. All she could hear for what felt like a eternity was screaming and death, but through it all, someone’s voice began to speak to her, almost as if it was drawing her back. The screams began to die down and the voice became the familiar one of Link’s. Her vision began to focus more and she saw that he was kneeling in front of her, not touching her, simply sitting in front of her talking. She blinked to clear away the fog that seemed to cover her eyes, Link noticing this “Good, there you are [Y/N]. Look at me, just look at me okay?” 

[Y/N] felt herself calming down from her panic, taking in a deep breath only to cough out in pain. Apparently she had been holding her breath which she learned, her lungs didn’t like. Her painful cough seemed to tell Link that she was no longer in her memory, because he carefully took her by the arm and helped her up, not letting go until he guided her over to where she was sitting originally. She tried to speak, but ended up coughing again “Don’t speak right now just catch your breath.” Link ordered, one order that she was more than willing to follow. It took one or two moments for her to regain her proper breathing, which allowed her to say “I’m sorry...first at the village and then now, you must be frustrated and think that I’m-” “I swear to the goddess’ if you say weak Epona will come over here and kick you herself. Things like that, where you find yourself suddenly reliving it and can’t escape, is a normal thing that happens anyone who goes through something traumatic. I have been through episodes like those dozens of times when I went on my journey to defeat Ganondorf.” 

The fact that he seemed to understand what had happened was one she appreciated, giving only a small sigh as he continued “If you actually lived through it than it must have been recently or something-” “No, I didn’t live through it...I uhh..” She paused to gather her words For some reason, when I learn about moments in history...whether it is happy, sad or terrifying, I see vivid dreams of what happened. When I learned about what happened on the day the princess died...I saw it that night in a dream. Everything...I saw you pushing her away to save her, I saw you taking on Ganondorf alone...and I saw the princess leap in front of the blade that was meant for you.” Link’s blue eyes were wide in shock at what she told him, [Y/N]’s red eyes focused on the ground in front of her. “I can tell you what happened the day my people were destroyed…and maybe even show you..” 

Link looked a bit perplexed by what she was saying, but did not ask anything as she adjusted where she sat, holding both of her hands out. The shadows that danced against the wall from the flame shifted, slowly crawling down from the rock walls across the ground and into her hand. With the blob of darkness that rested in her hand, [Y/N] began to speak. “The slaughter began five years after the death of the princess. It was a simple day, one that was peaceful, where our people were enjoying their lives. And then a woman came. The woman was dressed in all black, followed by a army of monster like none that we had never seen...not until today..” The darkness in her hand shifted, molding and growing into the shapes of what she said, the figure of a woman, and the exact same creatures that they had fought that day appearing at her side, only this time, in the hundreds. 

“The great fairy, the one that has protected the village for years was imprisoned which left our town defenseless from the darkness that this woman controlled, none of our warriors even able to defend themselves from the attack that she brought down. It was so fast and so sudden that no one was prepared for it, and by the time that they really knew what was happening, it had almost been too late. That woman came for blood on that day, and she got what she wanted. She killed everyone. Men, women, children, anyone that she found see. My great grandmother Impa, accompanied by the warrior Sheik of the time, lead the people that they could save out of the village. My great grandmother was left by Sheik to ensure that the few that survived went into hiding, and Sheik himself ran back into the battle. No one knows whether he survived and made it out alive, or if he had been killed.” 

Just like before, the darkness shifted, and showed Link everything that happened. It showed him the woman calling down her army of monsters, which flooded the street of the village. Men charged forward to defend their home but they were brutally struck down. Woman, though there was no sound, screamed as they were bit and grabbed by two of three of the creatures, children screaming in terror by the sights they were seeing. The image shifted to a child crying by the bodies of her parents, and about to be taken by one of the beasts when a Sheikah warrior flew in and lifted her to safety. Link’s eyes widened at the sight, and in a silent breath he whispered “Sheik.” The warrior fought off the creatures that charged at him, his focus carrying the child to a woman that Link did not even need to name. The new few scenes showed the two of them leading a fleeing group of people out of the town, before Sheik turned and vanished, the same way he vanished from history. 

“My great grandmother did her best to place the ones who survived into hiding. These people were the few left who still knew the ancient ways of our ancestors. They were the only ones that were still able to fight in the way we were taught that would aid the hero of legend and princess of destiny. They were scattered across the land living in places that she hoped the force of darkness would never be able to find. But she was wrong. For the past two hundred years they were hunted down, people even related to the ones who got away killed for the chance that they may have been taught. The great fairy saw this and with a bit of help from the goddess’, she created a protection blessing that halted any of the monsters controlled by Ganondorf from entering the town. That was the only way that myself, my cousin and my grandmother are alive. With that blessing we are able to hopefully one day be able to train our people in the ancient ways once again.” 

The darkness that she was controlling vanished as she finished retelling the tale of her people, now able to tell him the rest without needing to show him. “It has taken our people this long to recover from the attack. Thankfully, the writings left behind by our ancestors survived so that is how I was able to learn, since my grandmother is not quite able to teach as well as she once did. My cousin has taken the position of training the latest group of soldiers, and I had planned to join her once I finished school. As we can see, I will be a bit delayed in that job.” Link was speechless, his hands curled tightly into fists “That woman is a monster that needs to be destroyed. First the princess and then…” He couldn’t even finish speaking, unable to even say the words that he wanted to say. All he could do was slam his fist into the ground “I could have helped...I could have saved them but because of some damn prison I couldn’t…” [Y/N] shook her head, reaching over to place a hand atop of his “Link do not say that. You can’t linger on the past...all you can do is focus on the now.” 

Her words didn’t wipe away the look of guilt and regret that lingered on his face and in his eyes, but she knew that he would just need some time to come to terms with it. The boiling of a pot caught her attention, which pulled her focus away from Link. Carefully she grabbed the string where the herbs were wrapped up and pulled them out, using a stick to stir the potion a bit before she said “It’s ready. Here,” She grabbed a bowl and carefully scooped some out to hand to him. He blew on the hot liquid for a moment, before drinking the contents. Right away, the wounds that he had vanished into nothing more than faint scars and a few left over bruises as the potion took effect. [Y/N] followed in suit, feeling her own wounds ease away before she got to work storing the rest of it. The potion was placed in a few small bottles to keep on them for emergencies, half going to her and the other going to Link. Link said nothing during this, [Y/N figuring that he was simple settling on the thoughts that went through his mind. 

By the time that everything was finished, the sun had began to set as the sign of dusk. [Y/N] cleaned and packed away the pot that she used, before she tossed a blanket at Link “Here, get some rest. I’ll take the first watch. Tomorrow morning we will head through the canyon and hopefully make it to the desert to find a place to camp out.” Link did not argue with her, simply taking the blanket with him as he laid down. The Sheikah warrior wanted to comfort him and tell him that no matter what he thought it wasn’t his fault, but she couldn’t find the words. So she went to the mouth of the cave, Epona and Asva joining her as she took watch for the night.


	19. Chapter 18

****

The following morning, [Y/N] woke up with a start, sweat beading on her forehead and her body shaking slightly. Another nightmare had decided to visit her after she went to rest for the night, thankfully being a bit more tame than what they were in the past. She looked around the cave, finding that it appeared empty with the fire already put out and the spot that Link had claimed for sleep bare with no sign that anyone had been there. With a small bit of relief that he might not have seen her wake up with the fear that she felt, she pulled her knees up to her chest some and wrapped her arms around her body, a sort of shield she often did to ease her breathing when she woke up from her nightmares. It took her a moment or two but she was finally able to calm her beating heart and get her body to stop shaking, just in time before she heard someone approach her from the front. 

She looked up to see Link staring down at her with a small smile on his face and a hand on his hip “Well well well, the sleeping warrior is awake. I have to say you definitely are not used to health potions are you. You were in a pretty deep sleep there.” A frown appeared on her face as she rubbed her eyes some, protesting his comment about her sleeping “I hope you didn’t spend the rest of the night on watch, you should have woken me up so you could get some more sleep.” “I didn’t, Epona made sure that we were protected. I have had many nights where I would let her keep an eye out for me, she’s a pretty trustworthy horse. And I did try to wake you up! You were out hard, I thought you were still going to be asleep when I got it all set up so I was coming over to carry you to your horse, let you sleep on the road!” Embarrassment flooded her chest and face hearing that she had slept so long, the girl quickly leaping up to her feet “I apologize for being unable to help you keep watch. It is not something that a Sheikah warrior should do, please forgive me.” 

Link gave only a small laugh, placing a hand on her shoulder “Hey don’t worry about it. Taking one of those potions tends to make people really go to sleep if you aren’t used to them, it's to make sure that you don’t really push yourself too hard after taking one. So don’t beat yourself up over the fact that you slept in a little longer.” She nodded her head slightly, but it didn’t push away that bit of embarrassment that she felt in her stomach. [Y/N] quickly wanted to change the subject so she asked “Did you managed to get everything packed up alright? And did Epona and Asva eat something? There were some apples in my bag.” “Yup, I got everything but you and your bedroll packed, and the horses did eat an apple and some grass that was growing outside the cave.” With nothing else to ask, [Y/N] quickly tied her hair up into a braid that she normally wore to keep it out of the way, rolled up her bedroll and followed Link out of the cave. Asva gave a happy neigh at seeing her awake, [Y/N] greeted by the horse shoving his muzzle into her head. 

[Y/N] laughed a bit at her horse’s excitement, simply patting his neck before going to strap her roll up. By the look of the sky it had been roughly three hours after dawn, which meant that was three hours that could have been spent saving Jasmine from Meria’s clutches. She quickly shook those thoughts away from her mind as she mounted a horse, just as Link said “I figured you would want to head out as soon as you woke up so I made you some breakfast, here.” She looked over to see what he meant, only to have a piece of bread with a bit of jam shoved at her. [Y/N] took the food without much question, since she could easily get more once they were a decent way into the cavern. They didn’t need her choking on her food due to the horses going at a fast pace, so they started on a slow trot through the canyon path. 

While they traveled, [Y/N]’s mind began to wander, or rather, it began to try and figure something out that had been bothering her for some time. Her thoughts had apparently been present on her face, since Link soon enough asked “What’s the matter?” At first, she didn’t say anything, mostly trying to figure it out herself but simply didn’t want to admit it herself. So, she told him. “I’ve been thinking about the attack...in the forest. Those monsters were ready for us, and that is what I am confused about. How could they have been so ready, so well prepared for us.” She seemed to have also sparked a bit in curiosity in Link, for when she looked at him, she could see that he was also thinking about it. 

“What if they were simply making camp and heard us approach? Wouldn’t that give them enough time to prepare?” He suggested, [Y/N] only shaking her head “But they had Bokoblins on horseback chasing us. That doesn’t seem to me like a awaiting a approaching enemy sort of plan. And, nothing has ever entered that forest to make a camp in years. I didn’t even want to stay there to make a camp when we were both hurt. Something about that forest just wards off everything.” He turned away, now looking down at Epona’s mane while he tried to think of another solutions. “What if they were waiting for us? Ganondorf saw me there at the ceremony. There is no doubt that he probably suspects we are trying to stop him so perhaps he set up camps everywhere to stop us?” That could have been a solution, but once again, it just didn't make sense to her. 

“There’s no way he would know where we were going. To have a group like that so well prepared takes strategy, and if he had groups like that all over the place, it is a poor one. We could have gone to any of the tribes first, the Goron, the Zora’s, hell even the Rito! The only real logical way for it to be possible is…” She didn’t even want to say it. The simple thought of what she was about to suggest hurt, it hurt her in a way that she couldn’t even explain. Link had no problem voicing what she thought, his voice going lower “Is that there is a traitor among the Sheikah Clan, and among the people of Kakariko. It explains how they could get Jasmine out of the village without raising too much alarm. How they knew which direction we were heading.” 

Everything that they were discussing pointed to only one answer and no matter how hard she tried to find a different solution, nothing was working. [Y/N] hated the fact that they had to even consider it, but both agreed, it was the only way that the things that happened could have happened. Now what she needed to do was figure out who it was so she could contact her grandmother, or her cousin. That way the traitor could be located, taken care of, and the village would be safe again. However it was a matter that she would need to sit down to think about, really think on who would be the one that could turn on the clan, and at the moment, it was time that she didn’t have. [Y/N] quickly finished the last bit of her makeshift breakfast that she had, dusting off her legs as she said “We should pick up the pace now. We are reaching the part of the canyon’s that I don’t want to linger in.” 

“Why is that?” Link asked with a bit of confusion, [Y/N] pulling up the scarf to cover her face. Without even looking at him she explained “Think long and hard about what group of people that live in Gerudo Canyon, and think what group of people would just love to find a warrior of the Sheikah Clan and the Hero of Legend so they could kill them.” It didn’t take long for him to process that bit of information, Link confirming with a whisper “The Yiga Clan.” She only nodded in response before she kicked Asva into a fast gallop. Behind her, she heard Epona follow in quick pursuit and the two were off charging through the canyon. 

The entire time that they charged through the canyon, [Y/N] was on guard the entire time. Her red eyes scanned the tall rock walls, watching for any sort of movement that looked either unnatural or was a threat to Link. If anything that wasn’t part of the Yiga Clan had jumped in front of her, there would probably be a knife pointed in that things face. However, the Yiga Clan was still clever, and they were once people from the Sheikah Tribe that turned, meaning they had a lot more experience than her, which means they had the upper hand when it came to setting a net trap. At the speed of a full gallop, it is nearly impossible for someone to react when a net is thrown out in front of them. And since [Y/N] was the one leading the way, she was the one who took the hit. 

She was forcefully yanked off of her horse, which lead her to ungracefully land on the ground, the wind partially knocked out of her when she landed on her back, and surrounded by Yiga Footsoldiers. Hands grabbed her arms and legs to hold her down, the net wrapping itself around her body, restricting her movements. Above her, the face of a Yiga Footsoldier appeared, and began pulling at the net in an attempt to reach her neck. Whether it was to kill her, take the pendant around her neck or what, she didn’t know. All she did know, was that she was pretty thankful for not being alone. Before the soldier could find what he was looking for, the glint of a blade followed by another crying out in defeat filled the air, and all at once, the hands were off her. Link quickly grabbed a corner of the net and pulled it away, allowing [Y/N] to leap up to her feet. 

Around the two of them was a swarm of Yiga clan, more than any she had ever seen before...which even seeing one would have been more than any she had seen before. Either way it was a lot, and it was not a good situation. The foot soldiers created a circle around the two of them armed with their weapons, leaving no room for escape for either [Y/N] or Link. Behind her, a Yiga soldier let out a battle cry as they leapt forward, but Link, who was watching her back, cut the enemy of and took care of them in one swing. In front of her, two more raced forward with their weapons armed. [Y/N] stood in her defensive position. She used one dagger to block the attack of one, and used the other to deflect the second. Both became stunned, which allowed her to use her foot to kick back the one she blocked, before her dagger entered the chest of the other. Before the one she kicked could recover from that, she produced two more daggers, both of them flying into two more soldiers that were about to overwhelm Link behind her. 

Link did thank her for the help, but when he realized that she pulled out another dagger from her person, he exclaimed “How many of those blades do you have on you and where in the goddess’ name are you hiding them all!” She glanced back at him with a smirk, though it was hidden on her face, and replied “Oh I have a good number on me, a warrior must always be prepared, and as for the second question, magic!” They didn’t have the time to be joking but they were doing it anyway, it was just how they were. Back on the situation at hand, the footsoldiers began to attack with a bit more force, three or four coming in at once to challenge the Hero and the Sheikah warrior, each group being struck down in some way. The wave seemed endless, and after she killed the one in front of her, [Y/N] called out “There is too many! We need to figure out a way to escape but I’m not seeing any of them letting up!” “Then you get out of here.” 

She turned back to him in a rush, her red eyes wide in shock that he would even suggest that “What!? No! I’m not going to leave you behind in all of this! There is too many, you will get killed and I can’t let you because it ou do-” “[Y/N]!” He cut her off, turning himself to meet her gaze. “I have fought thousands of enemies that are much more powerful than these guys. I can handle myself. Epona is already waiting for me to give her a good opening to get me, but I can’t guarantee that I would be able to get you. Things have changed in the past 200 hundred years, so if I lost you, I wouldn’t have any idea what to do. I don’t know anyone but the Zora king. I need you to stay alive so you can be my guide. So as the Hero, I am ordering you. Get out of here and get someplace safe.”

[Y/N] bit her lip in frustration. In her mind, she was in a panic. If she left him then he had the chance of getting killed, and that means she would have failed her duty of protecting him, failed her duty of saving hyrule. She wouldn't even be able to go back to her grandmother because she would be that ashamed of herself...but. He gave her a order. The Sheikah served the Hero and the Princess, which meant that if they gave an order than they had to obey. The panic, the fear of failure, all of it was screaming at her mind to say no, to disobey the order, but her duty took over and very reluctantly “Fine. But if you aren’t at the stables soon I will be coming back. And so help me if you die I will bring you back to kill you myself!” Link only smirked, waving his hand to tell her to leave. She pulled free a deku nut from her pouch and threw it on the ground. It created a flash that blinded everyone but herself, which allowed her to escape. 

Don’t ask how she managed to slip out with the amount of Yiga clan that was there, use a bit of imagination with the combo of Sheikah skill. Once she was at a safe distance and reunited with her horse Asva, she looked back to where she had to leave Link. Guilt gnawed at her stomach with the fact that she had to leave him behind, saying aloud to only herself “You better make it out of there Link.” Before she turned and took off down the road, heading to their destination.


End file.
